Veterans in Louisville protest contaminated drinking water at Camp LaJeune

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - Veterans gathered to protest outside the VA Louisville Regional Office on Wednesday calling for more assistance for those who may have drank toxic water while serving at Camp LeJeune.

The Department of Veterans Affairs said anyone who served at the Marine Corps Base in Jacksonville, North Carolina between 1953 and 1987 could have been exposed to toxic chemicals in drinking water.

Those chemicals, such as excess levels of benzene, are known to cause cancer and other sickness.

Veterans who served said Veterans Affairs is not doing enough to help those who may have been affected by the toxic drinking water.

“The way veterans are treated through the VA is beyond belief,” Brian Amburgey, veteran and Kentucky advocate for Camp LeJeune Toxic Water said. “We feel like we’re a third class citizen the way we get treated from the VA.”

Last year, the Camp LeJeune Justice Act of 2021 was introduced to Congress that would allow individuals to sue and recover damages from exposure to contaminated water at Camp LeJeune.

The act was introduced in March and has not been put up for vote.