Marine claims of water safety disputed

CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C., Jan. 31 (UPI) -- A watchdog agency is challenging U.S. Marine Corps claims that water pollution at Camp Lejeune, N.C., is not dangerous.

Last summer, the corps issued a booklet stating: "To date, the scientific community has not established an association between exposure to the contaminated water and health conditions reported by former residents of Camp Lejeune."

But now the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry is demanding a retraction, the St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times reports.

"It suggests there is no problem," wrote the agency's Thomas Sinks. "… The presence of known human carcinogens in drinking water [supports] a much more cautious and informative message being conveyed."

He said a federal study has found low birth weight among boys whose mothers were exposed to a chemical in the water.

The agency plans to study former Lejeune residents to see whether they have died at a higher rate than average.

More than 165,000 people who lived at the base from the 1950s through 1980s and were exposed to the tainted water have signed up for a Marine Corps registry.

The levels of some contaminants were among the highest ever seen in a large, public drinking water system.