Service members and visitors observe AV-8B Harrier II fighter jets with the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, from Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina, flyover the Naval Medical Center Camp Lejeune, May 7, 2020. (Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Alexia Lythos) The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement.
By: FEDweek StaffIncidences of Parkinson’s disease among Marine and Navy veterans who served at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, between 1975 and 1985 are considerably higher than those of their colleagues at Camp Pendleton, California, during the same time period, according to the results of a new study published by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).
Concerns about Lejeune’s water supply have persisted ever since a federally mandated 1987 study revealed that its wells were contaminated with the carcinogen trichloroethylene (TCE) and possible carcinogen tetrachloroethylene (PCE). As many as 1 million people at the base were exposed to the toxins, according to the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR).
Even though there was no direct link to exposure and illness, the Department of Veterans Affairs presumed that the exposure caused Parkinson’s disease and seven other conditions in veterans who served at Lejeune. As such, they were granted disability ratings and benefits.
Dr. Samuel Goldman, the neurologist who led the study, determined that exposure to TCE was associated with a six-fold increased risk for Parkinson than those who were not exposed. But he had to wait for roughly a decade for the VA to fund a more in-depth study of the Lejeune population, the results of which are now being published.
In comparing Parkinson’s incidents between the North Carolina and California bases, Goldman looked at the cases of 172,000 Lejeune veterans and another 168,000 from Pendleton. The latter base had no incidences of contaminated water. Most of the veterans were male, averaged 20 years of age when they arrived at their duty stations, and had served at the two bases between 1975 and 1985. After more than 30 years, 279 Lejeune and 151 Pendleton veterans had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, according to the JAMA report. Additionally, the Lejeune veterans were more likely to be diagnosed with neurodegenerative parkinsonism, anxiety, tremor and erectile disfunction. Each condition is considered as an early sign of Parkinson disease.
Even though TCE exposure at Lejeune has been well documented, Goldman’s report noted that little has been done as of yet to track individuals who have been exposed.
“The VA has these prospective cohorts that they maintain for certain exposures,” Goldman stated. “Agent Orange is an important one. Now there’s a Gulf War cohort. But there is no Camp Lejeune cohort. It’s difficult to study this group because there is no enumeration of the cohort itself.”
As such, and because there are likely few deaths associated with the exposure, Goldman and his team relied upon clinical data provided by VA in evaluating the incidences of Parkinson’s. The variable way in which the contaminated water was distributed at the time also made tracking down exposures difficult as well. While the water at Lejeune is safe today, the team believes continued monitoring will uncover more cases of illness among those who served there between 1975 and 1985.
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