Tainted and Toxic: Lejeune Contamination Shrouded in Secrecy

CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. - Drinking the water, breathing the air, it could all have made you sick if on some parts of Camp Lejeune 20 years ago.

Documents show the Marine Corps was to begin testing air quality in the late 80's but the documents that prove they did, seem to have vanished.

In a statement from Camp Lejeune, they said," We continue to look for records and other information that can establish what occurred in 1988 and why or why not."

The statement said a document found recently shows at least one building was tested in 1997, and found no unusually high levels of vapor.

It went on to say that the documents may not have been regulated under a policy that mandated they be kept for 50 years.

But in a 1988 memo from Marine Corps headquarters, outlining policy related to dealing with hazardous chemical spills, it clearly states documents must be kept for 50 years.

Vapors from the spill leaked into buildings around Hadnot Point in 1988, but the first documented testing didn't take place until the late 90's.

Jerry Ensminger, has been working to put the pieces of this puzzle together.

"When they have to become that careful, they know they were wrong, and everybody else knows they were wrong too," Ensminger said.

They are testing now though, and working to remove the fuel from the soil to this day.

But the Marine Corps track record on the toxic water issue is one tainted by secrecy.

Just the start of a disturbing pattern of neglect, in which documents speak louder than words.

Marine corps background data on hadnot point shows the fuel farm was likely never cleaned, and rarely maintained because of a lack of funding.

It says every tank valve was likely leaking.

Leaking cancer causing, toxic gasoline into the ground water that supplied so many people.

Ensminger lost his daughter to cancer, when she was just 9 years old.

His quest for truth, is unwavering.

"I don't know that I'll ever see a resolution to this in my lifetime," he said.

But he'll fight until whichever comes first. 

We brought this to the attention of Sen. Kay Hagan, one of the sponsors of the bill moving through Congress that would ensure people effected by the Toxic water and vapor get adequate health care.

In an email, Sen. Hagan said, “It is a priority of mine to help provide closure to our former Lejeune families. Marines who fought for our country deserve to knowwhether their illnesses are connected to their time spent at Camp Lejeune, and I will continue working with my colleagues across the aisle to help our families get the answers they deserve.”

---Previous Story: Lejeune Toxic Water, Now Toxic Air? ---

For years we've told you about toxic chemicals in tap water at camp lejeune, and the impact they're having on the health of people exposed, but recently uncovered documents show the water may not have been the only thing making people sick.

The air on some areas of the base may also have been toxic.

Document after document, paint a startling picture.

More than a million gallons of contaminants leaked into the ground at camp lejeune, not only poisioning the water, but the air as well, and Jerry Ensminger found proof.

“One skeleton after another comes falling out of the closet in this situation,” said Ensminger, whose daughter died of cancer when she was 9, while their family lived on base.

In may of 1988, a study of health risks around the Hadnot Point Fuel Farm was completed for Camp Lejeune.

That study found that air quality monitoring should be done regularly, to check for the presence of toxic gas like benzene and vinyl chloride, vapors from the fuel spill.

In August of that year the base announced they would begin that testing, but by october they'd changed their mind.

In a letter from the commanding general of Camp Lejeune that the naval hospital didn’t have the man power to conduct work place monitoring, the work would need to be contracted out.

All the while people who worked inside these buildings, were potentially breathing in toxic air.

So, did they start testing? Ensminger doesn't know.

If they did Ensminger says 11 years of documents are missing.

“Theres a void there, and now their excuse is, well just because we dont have the documents doesnt mean we didnt do the tests,” but he says that’s exactly what it means.

As early as 1991, the Environmental Protection Agency believed inhalation should be considered as a way people around the spill could get exposed.

But still no documented testing or action from the base, “Well i hate to tell them but under circa law, those documents have to be kept on hand for 50 years,” Ensminger said.

By 1999 vapors in the buildings got so bad people working there started complaining of nausea, vomiting.

Some of the buildings were evacuated multiple times and ventilation fans installed, action was finally being taken.

The cleanup began too, the base recaulked, sealed, and ventilated buildings.

In 2000, some of the buildings were demolished some 12 years after the first warnings were sounded.

The next year this memo seems to acknowledge that fact saying, “no quantative readings,” were available prior to 2000.

“So, 11 years from the time that they were warned, until the time they did anything about it,” he said.

All of this, leaves Ensminger to think about what else they may not be telling him.

What else about this place, is making people sick

--- Previous Story - CDC announces major health study of Lejeune toxic tapwater ---

The Centers for Disease Control is looking into the health of folks who may have been exposed to toxic drinking water at Camp Lejeune.

The agency will conduct a health survey from June through December of this year. They are encouraging anyone that lived or worked at Camp Lejeune prior to 1986 to participate.

Over a million gallons of fuel, pesticides, and other hazardous chemicals leaked contaminating several ground water wells there.

The chemicals can cause cancer, birth defects, and death.

Chris Brown will have the very latest on this story tonight at 6 on Eyewitness News 9.

--- Previous Story - Toxic Tapwater: More public fight, less public findings ---

CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. - Honor, Courage, Commitment, a motto, Jerry Ensminger says the Marine Corps just isn't living up to.

"This lying and conniving and hiding, its not serving them well," said Ensminger, whose 9 year-old daughter died of cancer while his family lived at Camp Lejeune. "I want the truth, I want the truth"

Answers to who knew what about the toxic tap water at Camp Lejeune, and when.

One question he'll never get answered, is why?

"I don't know that ill ever see a resolution to this in my lifetime," he said.

So he settles for small victories, 2 bills moving through Congress would ensure everyone sickened by the cancer causing chemicals in the water at Hadnot Point, gets health care.

Some in Congress, are starting to see it his way.

"They see the deceitfulness, the hiding of information," said Ensminger.

Documents show vapors leaked into buildings in the contaminated area, 11 years of air quality tests though, vanished.

"Liability is huge in this," he said.

A film about his fight, is already creating buzz. Winning awards at the Tribeca Film Festival.

"Its time for people to wake up," said Ensminger.

He hopes this is the attention he needs to do just that.

He's got a long road ahead, one that may continue on, long after hes gone

"Whether they're going to step out and be honest and come clean, we dont know," he sighed, taking a long, deep breath, "we'll see."