U.S. Sens. Richard Burr and Kay Hagan plan to meet Wednesday with top Navy and Marine Corps officials to talk about the decades-old controversy surrounding contaminated water from Camp Lejeune.

Thousands of Marines and their families stationed at Camp Lejeune in the 1970s are thought to have been exposed to well water that contained chemicals called trichloroethylene and tetrachloroethylene. Many of those exposed – some of the children at the time – have been diagnosed with a variety of ailments, including cancer.

Burr, a Republican, and Hagan, a Democrat, were disappointed at a National Academy of Sciences report released in June that gave inconclusive information about the impacts of the tainted water on families, reports Barb Barrett.

The study listed 14 health conditions and diseases that could potentially be linked to exposure from harmful chemicals at Camp Lejeune. At the time of its release in June, Burr argued that more investigation was needed.

Read more after the jump.

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U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan says she can't stand behind the recent National Academy of Sciences study on water contamination at Camp Lejeune.

In a statement today, the Democrat said the study, released over the weekend, neglects key historical document and "severely downplays the established links between adverse health effects and exposure to [volatile organic compounds] that were present in the water at Camp Lejeune."

Hagan called for a hearing to explore the topic. "Former personnel and residents of Camp Lejeune need closure on this issue and one way to help facilitate that is through a hearing in the Armed Services Committee," her statement said.

She continued, "The time has come for Congress, the Department of the Navy, and the Marine Corps to work together to develop a plan to resolve the longstanding issue of water contamination at Camp Lejeune."

Hagan and Republican Sen. Richard Burr sent a letter last week to the Navy asking detailed questions about whether officials knew of contamination before wells were shut down. The two senators will meet with Navy Sec. Ray Mabus this summer.