WASHINGTON, Feb. 14 (UPI) -- Members of Congress from North Carolina say they're frustrated by the military's refusal to fund a study on contaminated water wells at Camp Lejeune, N.C.
The Department of the Navy is refusing to fund a $1.6 million mortality study on death rates among former residents of the installation, McClatchy Newspapers reported Sunday.
As many as 1 million people may have been exposed to trichloroethylene, tetrachloroethylene, benzene and vinyl chloride in well water, McClatchy said.
Male breast cancer, one of the rarest of all cancers, has reportedly been found in 55 patients across the country -- all of them with connections to Camp Lejeune.
A mortality study would be required for Camp Lejeune to be placed on the Environmental Protection Agency's national priority list of hazardous sites.
Navy Secretary Ray Mabus said last month that because previous research has showed no link to the toxic water, the mortality study is unnecessary, McClatchy reported.
Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., has blocked two Navy presidential appointees and says he'll stop every nominee until the department ends its "continued intransigence" on paying for the study.
He and Sen. Kay Hagan, a Democrat, have promised to push a bill for healthcare for affected families, and Democratic Rep. Brad Miller has gathered 20 co-sponsors for a similar measure in the House.
