Toxic Water Pollutants Linked to Parkinson's Disease

Trichlorethylene (TCE) is used as an industrial solvent in a variety of common household processes and products, including coffee decaffeination, dry cleaning, adhesives, and stain removers.^One

Unfortunately, these chemicals have disastrous results when they infiltrate groundwater and soil, as their specific gravity is greater than 1.² A May 2023 study found that increased rates of Parkinson's disease, cancer and additional health problems were linked to TCE contamination in Marine Corps water sources at Camp Lejeune.^three

The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registries (ATSDR) estimates that TCE is present in 9 to 34 percent of all drinking water in the United States.⁴ Repeated exposure has been associated with hepatic, renal, immunological, endocrine, and developmental effects in humans.⁵

In 30 years, the Environmental Protection Agency has not completed cleanup and remediation of contaminated soil and water at Camp Lejeune.⁶ How did we get to this point and what can you do to protect your health from the toxic chemicals plaguing our water supplies?

Systemic contamination and contamination of water supplies

The globalist cabal and technocrats warning of climate change fail to convey the reality that water pollution and shortages pose an imminent threat to life. They continually propose measures to increase their power and reduce their quality of life and freedom, but are strangely unresponsive when it comes to maintaining access to clean, pure water supplies.

Groundwater aquifers are rapidly being depleted and water pollution is widespread. E. coli contamination was discovered in Baltimore in just one week in September 2022.⁷ Toxic arsenic levels found in New York City.⁸ And in Jackson, Mississippi⁹ The water system failed, leaving 180,000 people without water.

Years of industrial pollution and waste have left our nation's water supply with arsenic, nitrates, pharmaceuticals, pesticides, perfluorinated compounds (PFAS) and microplastics.¹⁰

In addition to this mismanagement, the endocrine-disrupting chemical fluoride is intentionally added to water supplies. The upper limit of the recommended amount of fluoride has been significantly lowered from 1.2 mg/L to 0.7 mg/L.¹¹ In 2011, this chemical was found to be linked to cognitive decline in recent years.

Many cities have aging water infrastructure. Even when wastewater plants are operational, they fail to remove approximately 93% of drug compounds. According to the U.S. Geological Survey,¹² 80% of the waterways tested positive for pharmaceutical solutions. Agricultural fertilizers, animal waste and soil erosion contribute to excess phosphorus in waterways. This causes harmful algae to bloom, which draws oxygen from the water and creates dead zones.¹³

This is just a brief summary of the shameful mismanagement of our planet's water supplies. While algae blooms, arsenic and crumbling lead pipes make headlines, the widely used industrial solvent TCE is a hidden health time bomb.¹⁴ TCE has taken a huge toll on the environment over the past century and can have a direct impact on your health.

TCE's dishonorable history

Commercial production of TCE began in Germany in 1925, with the United States following suit in the same year.¹⁵ Originally touted as a miracle anesthetic, it was thought to lack the strong aroma of ether and be less damaging to the liver. Mostly replaced by halothane¹⁶ Until 1956, TCE was still used as a self-administered analgesic during childbirth, despite concerns about fetal toxicity.¹⁷

In 1977, its use as an anesthetic was finally banned in the United States. At that time, short-term exposure was associated with headaches, nausea, and movement disorders. Long-term exposure has been associated with central nervous system exposure, hepatorenal failure, increased cardiac output, and death.¹⁸

At the same time, women were given self-administered TCE as a birth anesthetic, and this “miracle” chemical was also sold as an industrial degreaser, allowing TCE to infiltrate America's water supplies.

The popularity of TCE was temporarily waned by ozone, which destroys the less toxic 1,1,1-trichloroethane. Montreal Protocol¹⁹ TCE has been given new life as a commercially viable product.²⁰ The widespread use of TCE as an industrial degreaser has serious long-term consequences.

TCE has been detected at 771 Superfund sites across the United States.²¹ This threatens water and air quality. At the Twin Cities Army Ammunition Plant, exposure to TCE occurred through ingestion and inhalation of water while showering and absorption through the skin, a reminder that toxic water is harmful through most exposures. TCE volatilizes easily in hot water and can off-gas through the soil and into the enclosure.²²

Although not as famous as New York's infamous “Love Canal,” indoor vapor intrusion and exposure to contaminated water from toxic TCE groundwater plumes have suffered for 90 years for residents near McCook Field in Dayton, Ohio. The auto parts plant was opened in the 1930s on the accounts of Chrysler and the EPA.²³

“The potential for hazardous pollutant vapors from the Behr Dayton Thermal VOC Plume Superfund site to accumulate in homes and businesses located in the McCook Field and Old North Dayton areas continues. The vapors could have negative health impacts for people living and working in the area. there is. .”

May 2023 study²⁴ An increased risk of Parkinson's disease (PD) has been detected among personnel stationed at Camp Lejeune. The exact triggers for PD are still unknown. Genetics, head trauma, and environmental exposures are thought to play a role, and TCE-contaminated water may be one of them, according to the Parkinson's Foundation.

Camp Lejeune TCE contamination

Camp Lejeune, a Marine Corps base camp located at the mouth of the New River on the Atlantic Ocean in North Carolina, is likely the site of the largest TCE contamination and scandal in the United States, according to the National Research Council's Committee on Contaminated Drinking. . Water at Camp Lejeune:²⁵

“In the early 1980s, two water systems at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, were found to be contaminated with the industrial solvent trichlorethylene (TCE).”

Between 1953 and 1985, the base's drinking water was found to be contaminated.²⁶ Studies have found several cancers among Marine and Navy personnel and civilian workers who may have been exposed to contaminated drinking water at Camp Lejeune.²⁷

TCE exposure through drinking water includes three routes: ingestion, inhalation, and dermal absorption. Marines in training can consume up to 6 liters of water each day, but the total dose from inhalation and dermal exposure is likely to be higher.²⁸

The most recent study was in May 2023²⁹ An increased risk of Parkinson's disease was found among personnel stationed at Camp Lejeune. A cohort study of 340,489 soldiers found a 70% higher risk of PD for soldiers stationed at Camp Lejeune compared with soldiers stationed at Camp Pendleton, California.

Former Lejeune residents without PD also had significantly higher rates of PD-like symptoms.³⁰ These include mood disorders, resting tremor, rigidity, slowed movements, sleep disturbances, cognitive impairment, and postural instability.³¹

Justice for Camp Lejeune Survivors

TCE contamination dates back to the 1950s and was discovered at two of eight water treatment plants in the 1980s.³² The first lawsuit against the U.S. government was filed in 2009. In 2012, the Honoring America's Veterans and Caring for Camp Lejeune Families Act was passed by Congress. A $2.2 billion fund has been set up to compensate survivors.

Eligible veterans must have served at least 30 days at Camp Lejeune between January 1, 1957 and December 31, 1987. It is estimated that between 500,000 and more than 1 million people have been exposed to contaminated water. By law, VA is required to provide health benefits to eligible veterans and their families who suffer from one of 15 specific medical conditions listed below.³³ Parkinson's disease was added to the list in 2023.³⁴

Failure of cleanup efforts portends future water supply problems

The first step taken to address water contamination was to close the well in 1985. The discovery of TCE in water supplies led to the addition of this chemical and other chemicals, such as vinyl chloride and benzene, to the Safe Drinking Water Act. In 1989.

Perhaps the most surprising part of the story is the follow-up. EPA's efforts to clean up the soil and mitigate the damage have been surprisingly ineffective. For over 30 years, ABC Cleaners poured thousands of gallons of solvents into septic systems, which leaked into adjacent aquifers.³⁵ The one-acre site that once housed the three-building ABC Cleaners complex is still filled with toxins.

In 1993, EPA implemented the ABC Cleaners plan to address contamination and remove toxins from groundwater by pumping aquifers and treating the soil using on-site steam extraction.³⁶ Steam extraction draws contaminated water and forces it through a filter.³⁷

The resulting water and steam are treated and released into nearby streams. Although the problems were rampant, ABC Cleaners remained in business and continued its poor solvent treatment.³⁸ Only adjacent areas could be treated, the equipment itself proved unreliable and a vital air removal device failed.³⁹ By 2003, only 700 pounds of contaminants had been removed from the ground and all of the solvent had been used up.

Five years later, in 2008, topsoil and groundwater contamination at the ABC Cleaners site had abated, but solvent fumes were spreading further below the surface. In 2011, the groundwater extraction system was shut down and the soil vapor extraction system was destroyed by Hurricane Irene.

The building was condemned and razed in the following years. A concrete floor slab was left behind and a fence was installed around the site to prevent exposure of contaminated soil. Still monitored and now a Superfund site, the 30-year cleanup effort has proven to be an unmitigated disaster. The unstoppable spread of toxic gases and soil and water toxins entering local settlements remains a serious concern for local residents.

Protect your health with pure water

The Camp Lejeune disaster should serve as a warning. Protecting access to pure, clean water is a top priority as regulatory agencies prove ineffective and technology is overwhelmed by the sheer volume of toxins being released into our waterways.

With crumbling infrastructure and bad actors polluting our waterways, my feature on how to properly filter water is important. Keep in mind that bathing, cooking, and drinking water should be your goals. Ideally, you will have a system that offers a variety of methods, including reverse osmosis, ion exchange, and carbon blocking filters.

My feature on how to secure your water supply in an emergency is another must-read. I recommend a rain barrel as a simple safety device. These water collection systems can be used for irrigation and are very important when tap water is not filtered or accessible.

The linked article shares water purification strategies, including how to keep rain barrels free of debris, how to use leaf filters, and how to treat water with bleach once a month to ensure water supplies even during droughts. Remember that protecting yourself from contaminated water is much more important than stocking up on non-perishable food.