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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Hagan’s office said Tuesday that the Navy and Marine Corps have not developed adequate responses to specific questions about the contaminants and what impact they might have had on residents. Wednesday's meeting is meant to rectify that, said Hagan spokesman Dave Hoffman.
He said Hagan has questions about the validity of the National Academy of Sciences study, and that she would like to ensure that another study on water contaminants will be fully funded in the Navy’s budget.
“Ultimately she wants closure for the victims,” Hoffman said.
The Navy undertook a broad effort last year to contact families who might have been exposed to the chemicals.
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