Contaminated Water Supplies at Camp Lejeune Assessing Potential Health Effects (2009) / Chapter Skim
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Public Summary and Context
Public Summary and Context
Pages 1-13
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The second was to evaluate studies that were performed or that are under way on former residents of the base and to consider how useful it will be to conduct additional studies. The third element was to identify scientific considerations that could help the Navy set priorities on future activities.
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It was beyond the scope of the committee's charge to try to determine whether any particular case of a disease or disorder is associated with exposure to the water supply at Camp Lejeune. Some parties contend that the Marine Corps has not done what it should to compensate them or to provide medical care for the harm they believe was caused by their exposure to the contaminated water supplies.
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When the contaminated wells were in service, contaminated water was delivered to the water-treatment plant where water from several wells was mixed and processed before being distributed in the pipes that supplied water to the base. Thus, the contamination of the water supplies varied and was dependent on many factors, such as the time of operation of the contaminated wells, the water treatments used, and the rate at which water was supplied to the base.
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. ATSDR compiled the available information on the Tarawa Terrace water system and used computer models to simulate how contaminants moved underground, entered water-supply wells, and were distributed in the water supply.
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review of epidemiologic studies of other communities with solvent-contaminated water supplies; (3) review of toxicologicstudies conducted in animals and humans to test for health effects of TCE and PCE; and (4)
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Limited/Suggestive Evidence of an Association Evidence from available studies suggests an association between exposure to a specific agent and a specific health outcome in human studies, but the body of evidence is limited by the inability to rule out chance and bias, including confounding, with confidence. For example, at least one high-quality study reports a positive association that is sufficiently free of bias, including adequate control for con founding.
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For diseases and disorders in this category, the committee has concluded that the epidemiologic studies cannot tell us whether exposure to the chemicals is associated with the disease or not. The committee is aware that some health outcomes reported by former residents of the base (for example, male breast cancer and second-generation effects)
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exposure to solvent mixtures) Kidney cancer Miscarriage (with exposure to PCE during Adult leukemia (solvent mixtures)
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Review of the Toxicologic Evidence Toxicologic studies are mainly laboratory experiments, usually conducted on animals. The committee's review on TCE and PCE were in part based on previously published toxicologic reviews but were mainly based on analyses of recently published studies.
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In both analyses, no clear associations were found between mean birth weight, preterm birth, or small for gestational age. However, a comparison of subgroups within the Tarawa Terrace population found a weak association between PCE exposure and small-for-gestational-age births for children of women over 35 or of women who had prior miscarriages.
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Simpler approaches to groundwater modeling should be performed to support the exposure classification in the study rather than performing the same type of complex groundwater modeling that was performed for Tarawa Terrace. The Feasibility and Utility of Future Studies of the Camp Lejeune Population ATSDR has evaluated the feasibility of conducting three additional studies of the Camp Lejeune population, including a health survey and studies that would evaluate deaths from all causes and cancer incidence among former residents and workers.
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All these factors make it unlikely that the proposed studies, even if the notable uncertainties about feasibility are resolved favorably, will produce results of sufficient certainty to resolve the question of whether Camp Lejeune residents suffered adverse health effects from exposure to contaminated water. The available scientific information does not provide a sufficient basis for determining whether the population at Camp Lejeune has, in fact, suffered adverse health effects as a result of exposure to contaminants in the water supplies.
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Public Summary and Context 13 Conclusion and Recommendation It cannot be determined reliably whether diseases and disorders experienced by former residents and workers at Camp Lejuene are associated with their exposure to contaminants in the water supply because of data shortcomings and methodological limitations, and these limitations cannot be overcome with additional study. Thus, the committee concludes that there is no scientific justification for the Navy and Marine Corps to wait for the results of additional health studies before making decisions about how to follow up on the evident solvent exposures on the base and their possible health consequences.
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