thedrifter
09-24-09, 04:49 AM
CNN to air special on Camp Lejeune water contamination
Comments | Recommend
September 23, 2009 7:08 PM
HOPE HODGE
A water contamination problem aboard Camp Lejeune that has been the subject of controversy for decades will receive major national media attention for the first time tonight.
A two-part series, hosted by CNN anchor Campbell Brown, will feature seven men with two things in common: a past aboard Camp Lejeune and a battle with male breast cancer.
A number of solvents, including high concentrations of tetrachloroethylene (PCE), a chemical found in dry cleaning fluid, leaked into the bathing and drinking water on certain parts of Camp Lejeune, specifically Tarawa Terrance and Hadnot Point, between 1950 and 1985. The Daily News was among the first to report the contamination, publishing a story in 1982 about DDT found in the soil on base.
But a June study by the National Research Council, which was funded by the U.S. Navy, concluded that “It cannot be determined reliably whether diseases and disorders experienced by former residents and workers at Camp Lejeune are associated with their exposure to contaminants in the water supply … and these limitations cannot be overcome with additional study.” The report also says that whether Lejeune officials acted appropriately in disposing of the toxic solvents cannot be determined.
Mike Partain isn’t satisfied with that conclusion. Partain, from Tallahassee, Fla., was conceived on base in 1967, born into a Marine family that stretched back for several generations. Though his parents moved off base when Partain was still a child, he remembers having a number of strange medical problems growing up, including a recurring skin rash that would cover his upper body. He didn’t think much of those health issues until his life was threatened by a medical anomaly nearly 40 years later.
“About two years ago, my wife gave me a hug before going to bed one night and located a bump in my chest above my right nipple,” Partain said by phone from his Florida home. He went to his doctor to have some tests done. He was diagnosed with male breast cancer.
Shocked, Partain recalled that he began to research the cancer, and found three strange things: first, that male breast cancer typically strikes men in their 70s, not their late 30s; second, that it is almost always hereditary, although he had no family history — male or female — of breast cancer; and third, that there is a genetic marker that indicates predisposition to the disease — Partain tested negative for it.
A few months later, Partain’s father called to tell him about a news report on a Congressional hearing concerning the water on Camp Lejeune and the Marines and their families who believed it had made them ill.
That began Partain’s search for more former Camp Lejeune residents with stories like his. It led him to Jerry Ensminger, an Onslow County resident and former Marine whose daughter, Janey, was born on base and died of Leukemia at age 9. Ensminger, a vocal activist on the issue of water contamination, helped Partain locate more men who had been diagnosed with male breast cancer after living aboard Camp Lejeune. Stories in newspapers around the country, including a large expose in the St. Petersburg Times, increased the number to 22.
Partain and Ensminger contacted CNN with their findings, and the network began work on the special in May, conducting a series of interviews in Washington, D.C. and in Tampa with seven of the male breast cancer survivors. They believe that this is the first time that their full story has been revealed to the nation.
And while until now the men have only had their word against that of the Marine Corps, they believe that their discovery of a document from the 1970s, Base Order 5100.13b, proves that Lejeune officials were aware of the dangers that the chemicals posed and contradicts Corps officials’ claim that the base followed codes consistent with the practices of the time.
“These guys had their own regulations pertaining to drinking water systems,” Ensminger said. “[Order 5100.13b] specifically declares organic solvents as hazardous and that improper disposal practices could result in the contamination of drinking water.”
Ultimately, the group of cancer survivors hopes that the CNN special will help more people like them understand what may be making them sick, and will prompt the military to extend VA support to people suffering from similar ailments.
“Being a military person, I can’t sue,” said Jim Fontella from Detroit, a former Camp Lejeune Marine who has told his story on Thereislifeafterbreastcancer.com. "There’s not going to be a windfall for me. My hope is that the VA can pick these people up and give them the healthcare they need.”
Partain hopes that people with stories like his can connect with the group and find support. He said those who would like more information about the water contamination at Camp Lejeune can visit The Few, The Proud, The Forgotten Web site at www.tftptf.com.
Chris Thomas — who lives in Birmingham, Ala., and grew up in the same Lejeune neighborhood in which Partain was born — was interviewed for the CNN special by telephone because of ongoing surgeries.
“There are probably hundreds of people out there that the Marine Corps has failed to do their due diligence,” he said. “Maybe the CNN story will be a good step in notifying people and letting them come forward and let them know that their illness could be attributed to the drinking the water at Camp Lejeune.”
Lejeune officials could not be reached for comment.
The report on male breast cancer at Camp Lejeune will air on CNN at 8 tonight and at 8 p.m. Friday.
Contact Hope Hodge at 910-219-8453, or at hhodge@freedomenc.com
Ellie
Comments | Recommend
September 23, 2009 7:08 PM
HOPE HODGE
A water contamination problem aboard Camp Lejeune that has been the subject of controversy for decades will receive major national media attention for the first time tonight.
A two-part series, hosted by CNN anchor Campbell Brown, will feature seven men with two things in common: a past aboard Camp Lejeune and a battle with male breast cancer.
A number of solvents, including high concentrations of tetrachloroethylene (PCE), a chemical found in dry cleaning fluid, leaked into the bathing and drinking water on certain parts of Camp Lejeune, specifically Tarawa Terrance and Hadnot Point, between 1950 and 1985. The Daily News was among the first to report the contamination, publishing a story in 1982 about DDT found in the soil on base.
But a June study by the National Research Council, which was funded by the U.S. Navy, concluded that “It cannot be determined reliably whether diseases and disorders experienced by former residents and workers at Camp Lejeune are associated with their exposure to contaminants in the water supply … and these limitations cannot be overcome with additional study.” The report also says that whether Lejeune officials acted appropriately in disposing of the toxic solvents cannot be determined.
Mike Partain isn’t satisfied with that conclusion. Partain, from Tallahassee, Fla., was conceived on base in 1967, born into a Marine family that stretched back for several generations. Though his parents moved off base when Partain was still a child, he remembers having a number of strange medical problems growing up, including a recurring skin rash that would cover his upper body. He didn’t think much of those health issues until his life was threatened by a medical anomaly nearly 40 years later.
“About two years ago, my wife gave me a hug before going to bed one night and located a bump in my chest above my right nipple,” Partain said by phone from his Florida home. He went to his doctor to have some tests done. He was diagnosed with male breast cancer.
Shocked, Partain recalled that he began to research the cancer, and found three strange things: first, that male breast cancer typically strikes men in their 70s, not their late 30s; second, that it is almost always hereditary, although he had no family history — male or female — of breast cancer; and third, that there is a genetic marker that indicates predisposition to the disease — Partain tested negative for it.
A few months later, Partain’s father called to tell him about a news report on a Congressional hearing concerning the water on Camp Lejeune and the Marines and their families who believed it had made them ill.
That began Partain’s search for more former Camp Lejeune residents with stories like his. It led him to Jerry Ensminger, an Onslow County resident and former Marine whose daughter, Janey, was born on base and died of Leukemia at age 9. Ensminger, a vocal activist on the issue of water contamination, helped Partain locate more men who had been diagnosed with male breast cancer after living aboard Camp Lejeune. Stories in newspapers around the country, including a large expose in the St. Petersburg Times, increased the number to 22.
Partain and Ensminger contacted CNN with their findings, and the network began work on the special in May, conducting a series of interviews in Washington, D.C. and in Tampa with seven of the male breast cancer survivors. They believe that this is the first time that their full story has been revealed to the nation.
And while until now the men have only had their word against that of the Marine Corps, they believe that their discovery of a document from the 1970s, Base Order 5100.13b, proves that Lejeune officials were aware of the dangers that the chemicals posed and contradicts Corps officials’ claim that the base followed codes consistent with the practices of the time.
“These guys had their own regulations pertaining to drinking water systems,” Ensminger said. “[Order 5100.13b] specifically declares organic solvents as hazardous and that improper disposal practices could result in the contamination of drinking water.”
Ultimately, the group of cancer survivors hopes that the CNN special will help more people like them understand what may be making them sick, and will prompt the military to extend VA support to people suffering from similar ailments.
“Being a military person, I can’t sue,” said Jim Fontella from Detroit, a former Camp Lejeune Marine who has told his story on Thereislifeafterbreastcancer.com. "There’s not going to be a windfall for me. My hope is that the VA can pick these people up and give them the healthcare they need.”
Partain hopes that people with stories like his can connect with the group and find support. He said those who would like more information about the water contamination at Camp Lejeune can visit The Few, The Proud, The Forgotten Web site at www.tftptf.com.
Chris Thomas — who lives in Birmingham, Ala., and grew up in the same Lejeune neighborhood in which Partain was born — was interviewed for the CNN special by telephone because of ongoing surgeries.
“There are probably hundreds of people out there that the Marine Corps has failed to do their due diligence,” he said. “Maybe the CNN story will be a good step in notifying people and letting them come forward and let them know that their illness could be attributed to the drinking the water at Camp Lejeune.”
Lejeune officials could not be reached for comment.
The report on male breast cancer at Camp Lejeune will air on CNN at 8 tonight and at 8 p.m. Friday.
Contact Hope Hodge at 910-219-8453, or at hhodge@freedomenc.com
Ellie