02-19-2010 01:22 PM
WILMINGTON, N.C. — The Navy has agreed after months of fighting to fund a study into the health effects of past water pollution at Camp Lejeune on Marines.

The Department of the Navy says in a letter Thursday to the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry it will pay more than $1.5 million for the work. The study will look at whether there are higher mortality rates for Marines who served at the base during the years the water was contaminated.

The Associated Press obtained a copy of the letter Friday.

North Carolina Sens. Richard Burr and Kay Hagan had urged the Navy to fund the study. The two lawmakers were behind legislation passed by the Senate in September preventing the military from dismissing claims related to water contamination before studies are completed.

Related reading:

Rep. wants fed probe of Lejeune water reports



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