thedrifter
09-26-07, 02:35 PM
Measure would find victims of Lejeune water problems
From staff reports
News & Observer, NC
The U.S. Senate has passed a measure requiring the government to notify residents who may have been exposed to contaminated water at the Camp Lejeune Marine base in Jacksonville, Sen. Elizabeth Dole announced today.
A federal agency found that children exposed to drinking water there before contaminated wells were closed in 1989 developed leukemia, other cancers and birth defects such as spina bifida, Dole's office said in a news release. As many as a million people may have been exposed to the water.
Dole introduced an amendment that will require the Secretary of the Navy to notify those who may have been affected by the contaminated wells starting in 1958. Those residents will then be asked to complete a voluntary health survey. National media will also be used to reach former Marines and their families.
"We can not correct a past mistake by avoiding the fact that this contamination occurred," Dole said in the release. "Notifying these Marines, their families and civilian employees is a necessary first step and is the right thing to do."
Sens. Richard Burr, Edward Kennedy and John Kerry co-sponsored the amendment, which is part of a defense reauthorization bill. The House and Senate must reconcile differences between the versions of the bill they have passed before voting on a final version.
Ellie
From staff reports
News & Observer, NC
The U.S. Senate has passed a measure requiring the government to notify residents who may have been exposed to contaminated water at the Camp Lejeune Marine base in Jacksonville, Sen. Elizabeth Dole announced today.
A federal agency found that children exposed to drinking water there before contaminated wells were closed in 1989 developed leukemia, other cancers and birth defects such as spina bifida, Dole's office said in a news release. As many as a million people may have been exposed to the water.
Dole introduced an amendment that will require the Secretary of the Navy to notify those who may have been affected by the contaminated wells starting in 1958. Those residents will then be asked to complete a voluntary health survey. National media will also be used to reach former Marines and their families.
"We can not correct a past mistake by avoiding the fact that this contamination occurred," Dole said in the release. "Notifying these Marines, their families and civilian employees is a necessary first step and is the right thing to do."
Sens. Richard Burr, Edward Kennedy and John Kerry co-sponsored the amendment, which is part of a defense reauthorization bill. The House and Senate must reconcile differences between the versions of the bill they have passed before voting on a final version.
Ellie