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The following is a personal story about military contamination submitted to Civilian Exposure and…

PFCs, PFOA and PFOS are becoming the latest spotlight issue in a long line…

What about service members like me? I’m trying to get tested for PCE and TCE. What can I do? That’s a good question. Unfortunately, there’s not much that can be done unless your exposure is immediate.  If the exposure happened years (or decades) ago, such as the case with Camp Lejeune victims, then it is likely that it will be very hard to locate traces of the chemicals in your system today. However, that doesn’t mean that damage from exposure doesn’t exist.

In definition of “neurobehavioral effects”, conditions are of or relating to the relationship between the action of the nervous system and behavior. These may include: poor memory, dementia, depression, poor concentration, post-traumatic stress disorder, insomnia, fatigue, motor problems, and many others. Exposure to TCE and other VOCs has been shown to be linked.

WAFB began operations in 1923, under the name of Camp Skeel, and was officially named the Wurtsmith Air Force Base in 1953.  The base is located in Oscoda, Iosco County, Michigan. WAFB closed in 1993 and is gradually being turned over to the Oscoda Airport Authority for reuse as an industrial park and airfield (EPA 2012).  The 5,221-acre site is bounded by Van Etten Lake to the north and east, Oscoda and Au Sable Townships to the east and south, the Huron National Forest (including wetlands associated with the Au Sable River) to the south, and the Au Sable State Forest to the north and west.  Lake Huron is less than one mile east of the site (ATSDR 2001).

Although this data has been posted for a while, we thought we’d share for those who have yet to see them. According to the CDC, these tables show the estimated monthly average levels of the contaminants in the finished drinking water from the Tarawa Terrace, Hadnot Point, and Holcomb Boulevard treatment plants.

“I have been following the Camp Lejeune story concerning exposure to volatile chemicals. Fort Ord CA has been on the superfund cleanup program for several years (since the 1990’s) and are still having problems with their clean up program. The EPA and Dept. of the Army have several official documents outlined on their websites stating how the clean began in the 1990’s and is still in progress concerning chemicals like TCE, PCE, vinyl chloride, etc. Veterans who served at Fort CA should be made aware of the possible health problems if exposed to contaminated water, soil/air(plumes).”

Recently, US Medicine reached out to us regarding the latest developments with Camp Lejeune contamination.  In the article, we were asked about the meaning of a move by the VA to work towards establishing presumptive status for veterans exposed.  Of course, this is a great outcome and much needed for veterans. 

The transcript for the May 2015 CDC/ATSDR Camp Lejeune Community Assistance Panel has now been published by the ATSDR.  A link to the full transcript document is found below.

The following provides information on kidney cancer, one of the 15 health conditions covered by the VA for Camp Lejeune victims.  Information is compiled from various sources, including the Kidney Cancer Association, Mayo Clinic, American Cancer Society, NIH, and others.