Camp Lejeune Contaminated Drinking Water VOC Exposure Modeling and Multi-Pathway Cancer Risk Assessment
RoseyFields evaluated historical exposure to volatile organic compounds in contaminated drinking water at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, where multiple water distribution systems were impacted by groundwater contamination from dry cleaning operations, landfills, underground storage tanks, and related historical sources. The chemicals of concern included trichloroethylene, tetrachloroethylene, benzene, vinyl chloride, and chlorinated solvent degradation products, which were assessed for their contribution to cumulative cancer risk.
We performed a multi-pathway human health risk assessment using reconstructed contaminant concentration data, groundwater fate and transport modeling, drinking water distribution system analysis, and established EPA risk assessment methods. The assessment evaluated ingestion of drinking water, dermal absorption during water use, and inhalation of volatilized contaminants during showering and bathroom use. Our team also compared risk contributions by chemical, exposure pathway, and water treatment system to understand how contaminant sources and distribution patterns affected exposure over time.
The analysis characterized an affected exposure class by integrating historical water system service areas, modeled contaminant concentrations, exposure duration, and pathway-specific risk calculations. This approach allowed RoseyFields to evaluate how Marines and other base populations served by contaminated water systems may have experienced differing exposure potential depending on where and when they lived or worked on base. The project demonstrates RoseyFields’ expertise in groundwater contamination, VOC exposure reconstruction, drinking water risk assessment, contaminant fate and transport analysis, and cumulative human health risk modeling.
This investigation was conducted under the direction of Dr. Paul Rosenfeld, an environmental scientist and environmental forensic expert with extensive experience in environmental exposure assessment, toxicology, air quality, environmental fate and transport, risk assessment, and environmental forensics. Through RoseyFields LLC, Dr. Rosenfeld provides scientific consulting, environmental forensic analysis, regulatory support, and expert witness services involving environmental contamination, human exposure, and public health. His technical oversight helped ensure that the methodologies, scientific interpretations, and conclusions presented in this case study are consistent with accepted scientific principles and current best practices.