Mortality Study of Marines, Navy Personnel, and Civilian Workers – Cohort Study Update

Mortality Study Results

To read the study’s findings, visit https://www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-4171975/v1. CDC/ATSDR has published this study on a preprint server. In addition to scientific review at CDC/ATSDR, the study has also been externally peer reviewed as part of standard manuscript preparation at CDC/ATSDR prior to its posting on a preprint server. The paper has also been submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed publication.

Study Purpose

The purpose of this cohort study of Camp Lejeune Marines/Navy personnel and civilian workers was to determine if being stationed or employed at Camp Lejeune between 1975 and 1985 (Marines/Navy personnel) or between October 1972 and December 1985 (civilian workers), a portion of the period when the drinking water was contaminated, increased the risk of specific causes of death during the follow-up period between 1979 and 2018 compared to being stationed or employed at Camp Pendleton.

What Was Studied

The Camp Lejeune Mortality Cohort Study was conducted of Marines and Navy personnel who, between 1975 and 1985, began service and were stationed at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina or Camp Pendleton, California and civilian workers employed at Camp Lejeune or Camp Pendleton between October 1972 and December 1985.

Camp Pendleton Marines/Navy personnel and civilian workers were chosen as the comparison groups in this study because the base’s finished drinking water was not known to be contaminated prior to 1986. Additionally, Camp Pendleton’s Marines/Navy personnel and civilian workers were similar to Camp Lejeune in terms of demographics, socioeconomic factors, training activities, personnel trained, and types of civilian employee occupations.

Features of this Study

Few studies have evaluated drinking water exposures to trichloroethylene (TCE), tetrachloroethylene (PCE), vinyl chloride, or benzene and the risk of specific causes of death. ATSDR previously conducted cohort mortality studies comparing Marines/Navy personnel and civilian workers stationed or employed at Camp Lejeune from 1975 to 1985 and 1972 to 1985, respectively, with similar cohorts over the same periods stationed or employed at USMC Base Camp Pendleton, California. The follow-up period for both of the previous Camp Lejeune mortality studies was between 1979 and 2008. The current cohort mortality study extends the follow-up period to 2018.

Conclusions and Key Results

This work is an update to the previous mortality studies published in 2014. It contributes to what is known about exposures to contaminated drinking water and health impacts. Drinking water at U.S. Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina was contaminated with TCE and other industrial solvents from 1953 to 1985. Increased risk of several causes of death was observed among Marines and civilian workers exposed to contaminated drinking water at Camp Lejeune compared to personnel at Camp Pendleton, which is not known to have similar drinking water contamination.

• In Marines and Navy personnel, increased risk of causes of death was observed for kidney, esophageal, and female breast cancer.
• Among civilian workers, increased risk of causes of death was observed for chronic kidney disease, Parkinson disease, and female breast cancer.

Testing/Treatment

There are no specific medical tests that are recommended for these exposures. Instead, ATSDR recommends that individuals who think they may have been exposed to contaminated drinking water at Camp Lejeune monitor their health by having regular medical check-ups. We also encourage those persons to discuss this information with their physician, who can advise them on their personal health questions.