CDC – ATSTR Again Addresses Camp Lejeune Drinking Water: New Report Released

(letters posted to Camp Lejeune stakeholders about drinking water contamination saga) Dear Sir or Ma'am:

On December 4, 2013 the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry's (ATSDR) "Evaluation of exposure to contaminated drinking water and specific birth defects and childhood cancers at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina: a case--control study" was published (http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/sites/lejeune/update.html). You will receive a hard copy of the ATSDR fact sheet summarizing the results of this study in the mail in the coming weeks. ATSDR's study evaluated whether or not maternal exposures to drinking water containing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) at Camp Lejeune increased the risk of certain health conditions. The study used ATSDR's previous water modeling efforts to estimate past exposures (http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/sites/lejeune/watermodeling.html). VOCs were commonly used as solvents for cleaning machinery and weapons, for dry cleaning, and some are found in fuels. This study is the first of several health initiatives that ATSDR is expected to complete in the next several years. For more information about these studies, visit http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/sites/lejeune/ or call (800) 232-4636 . Since 1991, the Marine Corps has supported the health initiatives conducted by various scientific agencies. We are also working diligently to identify and notify individuals who, in the past, may have been exposed to the chemicals in drinking water. For more information about these efforts or to update your contact information, please see:http://www.marines.mil/clwater/, call  (877) 261-9782  or e-mailclwater@usmc.mil. For the complete report and for information about studies being conducted by ATSDR, visit http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/sites/lejeune/ or call  (800) 232-4636 . To contact Veterans Affairs to learn more about health care benefits, please visit http://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/camp-lejeune/or call  (877) 222-8387  (Healthcare) or  (800) 827-1000  (Benefits).  Sincerely,            /signed//        The Camp Lejeune Historic Drinking Water Program