Camp Lejeune is a large military base located on the coast of North Carolina, opened in 1942. From 1953 to 1987, those on the base were exposed to drinking water contaminated with dangerous toxins. Not only service members, but also civilian workers and families of service members, were affected. It is considered by many as the worst drinking water contamination in the history of the United States.
The base is supplied by eight water treatment plants. Between 1953 - 1987 two of those plants, the Tarawa Terrace and Hadnot Point water treatment plants, contained finished drinking water contaminated with several volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The VOCs found in the water supply are known to cause a number of cancers, birth defects and other serious health complications.
It was not until 1982 that the Marine Corps discovered the toxic water supply. During the nearly 40 years that the water at Camp Lejeune was contaminated, as many as one million military service members, family members of service members and civilian staff were exposed to the dangerous chemicals. In some cases, the toxic compounds were present at a concentration of well over 3,000 times the accepted standard.