Health effects linked with trichloroethylene (TCE), tetrachloroethylene (PCE), benzene, and vinyl chloride exposure

Key points

The effects of exposure to any chemical depend on when, how much, how long, and how you are exposed. It also depends on personal traits and habits. This page includes a list of health effects linked with chemicals detected in the drinking water at Camp Lejeune.

Laboratory research

Health effects

The effects of exposure to any chemical depend on the following:

  • When you are exposed (during pregnancy, in infancy, etc.),
  • How much you are exposed to,
  • How long you are exposed,
  • How you are exposed (breathing, drinking), and
  • What your personal traits and habits are.

Therefore, not everyone who is exposed to trichloroethylene (TCE), tetrachloroethylene (PCE), benzene, or vinyl chloride exposure will develop a health problem.

ATSDR assessed 16 diseases in its document titled "ATSDR Assessment of the Evidence for the Drinking Water Contaminants at Camp Lejeune and Specific Cancers and Other Diseases". This document combined the findings from ATSDR's Camp Lejeune studies with findings from studies of other populations. The other populations were exposed occupationally or environmentally to TCE, PCE, vinyl chloride and benzene.

Keep Reading: ATSDR Assessment of the Evidence for the Drinking Water Contaminants at Camp Lejeune and Specific Cancers and Other Diseases

Listed below are the health effects where there is sufficient evidence for causation. These effects occur in people exposed occupationally or environmentally to chemicals detected in the drinking water at Camp Lejeune. Evidence is considered sufficient for causation if there is

1) sufficient evidence from human studies in which chance and biases (including confounding) can be ruled out with reasonable confidence or

2) less than sufficient evidence from human studies but sufficient evidence in animal studies. Additionally, if there is strong evidence that the chemical acts through a relevant mechanism in humans.

Health effects with sufficient evidence for causation for TCE

  • Kidney cancer
  • Non-Hodgkin lymphoma
  • Cardiac defects

Health effects with sufficient evidence for causation for PCE

  • Bladder cancer

Health effects with sufficient evidence for causation for benzene

  • Leukemias
  • Non-Hodgkin lymphoma

Health effects with sufficient evidence for causation for vinyl chloride

  • Liver cancer

Listed below are the health effects where the evidence is sufficient to conclude that a causal relationship is at least as likely as not, but not sufficient to conclude that a causal relationship exists ("equipoise and above") in people exposed occupationally or environmentally to the chemicals detected in the drinking water at Camp Lejeune. In other words, equipoise and above means that there is enough research to support a link between the health effect and the exposure, but there is not enough research to definitively conclude that exposure causes the health effect. More research is needed to clearly show that the exposure causes the health effect.

Health effects with evidence that is equipoise and above for causation for TCE

  • Leukemia
  • Liver cancer
  • Multiple myeloma
  • End-stage renal disease
  • Parkinson disease
  • Scleroderma

Health effects with evidence that is equipoise and above for causation for PCE

  • non-Hodgkin lymphoma
  • End-stage renal disease

Health effects with evidence that is equipoise and above for causation for benzene

  • Multiple myeloma

Additionally, listed below are other health effects that have been linked to TCE, PCE, benzene, and/or vinyl chloride in populations other than Camp Lejeune who worked with and/or drank water contaminated with these chemicals. These links are based on studies with positive associations between exposures to these chemicals and development of health effects.

Health effects with positive findings in at least one study that evaluated exposure to TCE and/or PCE

  • Chonal atresia (nasal passages blocked with bone or tissue)12
  • Eye defects12
  • Low birth weight34
  • Fetal death135
  • Major malformations6
  • Miscarriage78
  • Neural tube defects123
  • Oral cleft defects (including cleft lip) 123
  • Small for gestational age1
  • Breast cancer9
  • Cervical cancer 10
  • Esophageal cancer111213
  • Lung cancer14
  • Hodgkins disease10
  • Ovarian cancer10
  • Prostate cancer 10
  • Rectal cancer13
  • Impaired immune system function15
  • Neurological effects (delayed reaction times problems with short-term memory, visual perception, attention, and color vision)8
  • Neurobehavioral performance deficits (i.e., delayed recall and deficits in visual perception), decreased blink reflex, and mood effects (i.e., confusion, depression and tension)1516
  • Severe, generalized hypersensitivity skin disorder (an autoimmune-related disease)17

Health effects with positive findings in at least one study that evaluated exposure to benzene

  • Aplastic anemia18
  • Myelodysplastic syndromes19
  • Miscarriage18

Health effects with positive findings in at least one study that evaluated exposure to vinyl chloride

  • Brain cancer20
  • Lung cancer21
  • Soft tissue cancer20
  • Liver cirrhosis22

Findings from ATSDR's health studies at Camp Lejeune are available at https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/sites/lejeune/activities.html.

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Content Source:
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
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