thedrifter
02-03-08, 07:33 AM
Tainted water at base addressed in new law
Saturday, February 02, 2008
By JO-ANN MORIARTY
jo-ann.moriarty @newhouse.comWASHINGTON - The Department of Defense bill President Bush signed into law this week includes a provision that requires the U.S. Navy to directly notify Marines, dependents and civilian employees who were assigned to Camp Lejeune in North Carolina between 1958 and 1987 that they were exposed to toxins in the base's water supply.
The language was added to the bill by U.S. Sen. Elizabeth H. Dole, R-N.C., in an amendment co-sponsored by U.S. Sen. John F. Kerry, D-Mass., who was in the Navy while serving in Vietnam.
"We cannot correct a past mistake by avoiding the fact that this contamination occurred," Dole said upon the Senate passage of the language in December. "Notifying these Marines, their families and civilian employees is a necessary first step and is the right thing to do."
But for Hampden resident Sally J. McLaughlin, the legislation is too little and too late.
For McLaughlin and her husband, Thomas - a Marine sergeant during the late 1950s and into the 1960s, their question about their infant daughter goes unanswered to this day. The couple's daughter, Michelle, was born with part of her brain missing and died soon after birth in 1966. They had been stationed at Camp Lejeune and were later assigned to a military base in Hawaii.
McLaughlin was unaware until last year when a federal study was done to determine if there was a link between exposure to the contaminated wells at Camp Lejeune and children with birth defects, such as spina bifida and cleft palates - and the development of cancer in children such as leukemia. The contaminants under study are TCE (trichloroethylene), a chemical degreaser, and PCE (tetrachloroethylene), a solvent used in dry cleaning.
While McLaughlin and her husband settled in Western Massachusetts after his combat tour in Vietnam and were unaware of the contaminated water at Camp Lejeune, McLaughlin said that it is common knowledge within the communities around the Marine base in North Carolina.
"If they wanted to find us, they could have found us years ago," McLaughlin said. "Put it on the national news, and see how many people call then."
After The Republican published a story in July about McLaughlin and Camp Lejeune, nearly a dozen women in Western Massachusetts contacted the paper about similar experiences.
Former base residents can call the hotline at (877) 261-9782. Information can be obtained online at www.usmc.mil/clsurvey
Ellie
Saturday, February 02, 2008
By JO-ANN MORIARTY
jo-ann.moriarty @newhouse.comWASHINGTON - The Department of Defense bill President Bush signed into law this week includes a provision that requires the U.S. Navy to directly notify Marines, dependents and civilian employees who were assigned to Camp Lejeune in North Carolina between 1958 and 1987 that they were exposed to toxins in the base's water supply.
The language was added to the bill by U.S. Sen. Elizabeth H. Dole, R-N.C., in an amendment co-sponsored by U.S. Sen. John F. Kerry, D-Mass., who was in the Navy while serving in Vietnam.
"We cannot correct a past mistake by avoiding the fact that this contamination occurred," Dole said upon the Senate passage of the language in December. "Notifying these Marines, their families and civilian employees is a necessary first step and is the right thing to do."
But for Hampden resident Sally J. McLaughlin, the legislation is too little and too late.
For McLaughlin and her husband, Thomas - a Marine sergeant during the late 1950s and into the 1960s, their question about their infant daughter goes unanswered to this day. The couple's daughter, Michelle, was born with part of her brain missing and died soon after birth in 1966. They had been stationed at Camp Lejeune and were later assigned to a military base in Hawaii.
McLaughlin was unaware until last year when a federal study was done to determine if there was a link between exposure to the contaminated wells at Camp Lejeune and children with birth defects, such as spina bifida and cleft palates - and the development of cancer in children such as leukemia. The contaminants under study are TCE (trichloroethylene), a chemical degreaser, and PCE (tetrachloroethylene), a solvent used in dry cleaning.
While McLaughlin and her husband settled in Western Massachusetts after his combat tour in Vietnam and were unaware of the contaminated water at Camp Lejeune, McLaughlin said that it is common knowledge within the communities around the Marine base in North Carolina.
"If they wanted to find us, they could have found us years ago," McLaughlin said. "Put it on the national news, and see how many people call then."
After The Republican published a story in July about McLaughlin and Camp Lejeune, nearly a dozen women in Western Massachusetts contacted the paper about similar experiences.
Former base residents can call the hotline at (877) 261-9782. Information can be obtained online at www.usmc.mil/clsurvey
Ellie