Alarmingly, the concentration of PFAS in the environment of Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton is 820 parts per trillion, which is 11 times higher than the permissible limit set by the Environmental Protection Agency. Consequently, members of the military who are stationed there have a high risk of coming to struggle with harrowing diseases as a result of toxic exposure. The fact that there is more than one contaminant on the premises of Marine Corps Camp Pendleton only exacerbates the degree of toxic exposure.
What contaminants are present on Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton?
Due to inadequate past disposal practices of toxic agents, the groundwater and the soil of the military base are contaminated to a tremendous degree. PFAS, a group of dangerous chemicals, are one of the main contaminants lurking on Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, stemming from the use of AFFF, a fire suppressant employed by military firefighters and trainees to extinguish petroleum and jet fuel fires. Interestingly, AFFF was invented by the U.S. Navy together with the notorious 3M company.
The other toxic agents found by the Environmental Protection Agency on the area Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton is situated on include the following:
- aluminum
- antimony
- arsenic
- barium
- beryllium
- boron
- cadmium
- vinyl chloride
- chromium
- cobalt
- copper
- iron
- lead
- manganese
- mercury
- tetrachloroethene
- thallium
- toluene
- vanadium
- zinc
Covering 125,000 acres, Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton is currently a Superfund site. For over 25 years, the Environmental Protection Agency has been relentlessly carrying out cleanup activities to mitigate the issue of toxic exposure on the site. However, because the removal of contaminants is still ongoing, the health of people who are stationed at this military base is endangered, as exposure to so many toxic agents can easily result in a terrible disease within several years. It is important to know that if you spent time on Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton and came to suffer from a disease, you can file a toxic exposure claim only if your diagnosis is related to PFAS exposure.
What diseases can PFAS exposure cause in the long run?
Although exposure to PFAS can lead to the occurrence of numerous health problems, the most serious is by far cancer, which can affect various organs and tissues in the body, depending on where the highest concentration of these chemicals is located. Here is the complete list of diseases PFAS exposure can cause, as well as the diagnoses for which you can seek financial compensation:
You should keep in mind that diseases stemming from exposure to PFAS take several years to several decades to develop. For this reason, we advise you to keep a close eye on your health and undergo regular medical examinations so that, in the regrettable case a disease occurs, your doctor will find it in the early stages. Lastly, you should also know that if you are a woman who was pregnant during her stay at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton and gave birth to a baby with a health issue, you are entitled to filing a toxic exposure claim as well on behalf of your child.
