Ex-marines blame cancer on well water

TALLAHASSEE, Fla., Aug. 26 (UPI) -- Former U.S. Marines blame water polluted with chemicals at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina for cancer, including at least 19 cases of rare male breast cancer.

David Partain, who operates the Web site, The Few, The Proud, The Forgotten, is one of the 19. His wife discovered a lump in his breast in 2007.

"The Marine Corps knowingly poisoned their own people," Partain told the Los Angeles Times recently in an interview at his home in Florida. "They were told about the water, and they did nothing. Nothing. And then they lied about it."

A dry-cleaning plant next to the base used chemicals that ended up in the base water supply as did solvents to clean military equipment.

Marines spokesman Capt. Brian Block told the Times by e-mail testing did not confirm the presence of chemicals in base wells until 1984. At that point, he said the Marines began shutting down the wells.

He said what was done was "in accordance with generally accepted industry practices at the time."

Breast cancer in men is unusual, with 1,000 cases diagnosed in the United States last year while breast cancer was found 192,000 women.