Two chemicals -- trichloroethylene (TCE) and tetrachloroethylene (PCE) -- found to have contaminated drinking water at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune from the 1950s to 1985 have been linked to certain diseases and disorders, including various cancers. A new report from the National Research Council, Contaminated Water Supplies at Camp Lejeune – Assessing Potential Health Effects, reviews scientific evidence about the potential adverse health effects that could occur after exposure to TCE, PCE, and other contaminants; recommends the usefulness of conducting additional studies on former residents of the base; and identifies scientific considerations that could help the U.S. Department of the Navy, under which the Marine Corps operates, set priorities on future actions. The report will be released at a 90-minute public briefing.
Details:
The briefing will run from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, June 13, at the USO of North Carolina, Jacksonville Center, 9 Tallman St., Jacksonville, N.C.
Members of the committee participating in the briefing are:
- David Savitz, chair of the committee and Charles W. Bluhdorn professor, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York City
- Caroline Baier-Anderson, health scientist, Environmental Defense, and assistant professor, University of Maryland, Baltimore
- Prabhakar Clement, professor of environmental engineering, Auburn University, Auburn, Ala.
Advance copies of the report will be available to reporters only beginning at 2 p.m. EDT on Friday, June 12. THE REPORT IS EMBARGOED AND NOT FOR PUBLIC RELEASE BEFORE 11:30 A.M. EDT ON JUNE 13.
REPORTERS: To obtain a copy of the report or to participate in the briefing, contact the National Academies' Office of News and Public Information; tel. 202-334-2138 or e-mail news@nas.edu.