TCE Expert Talks With Former El Toro Marine About Toxic Waste (VIDEO)

This is the fifth video in a continuing series about a deadly chemical dumped into the groundwater by Marines at El Toro that is moving in the water tables beneath neighborhoods in Irvine, California.

A sign near the area where an environmental cleanup effort takes place at El Toro every day. Photo by Tim King Salem-News.com

(IRVINE, Calif.) - Lethally toxic chemicals were dumped into the groundwater over the decades at the now closed El Toro Marine Corps Air Station in Irvine, California. There are many cases of Marines and their family members becoming sick over the years from TCE, (Trichloroethylene) and a similar chemical PCE, (Perchloroethylene).

El Toro was designated an EPA Superfund site in the 1990's, but today the city of Irvine and developers are in the process of establishing a park and neighborhood on top of it.

El Toro is the emerging story; the active Marine Corps base Camp Lejeune on the east coast has had many deaths connected to contaminated water from both TCE and a similar chemical PCE, (Perchloroethylene).

There are several Marines who served at both bases and several who only served at El Toro or Lejeune, who have written to Salem-News.com to share their stories and stay updated.

We have also received contact from a growing number of concerned homeowners, parents and other residents in the Irvine area, who did not know the problem was as severe as it is.

To make matters worse, the health problems from TCE contamination can be passed on generationally. TCE, is known to cause liver failure, several types of cancer, mutations and intestinal disorders.

This is the fifth video in a continuing series about a chemical degreaser that was used to clean jet fighters at the El Toro Marine Air Station, that was ultimately, dumped into the water system.

The base water became contaminated and by 1969 or 1970 El Toro switched to municipal water. The spokesperson for the Irvine Ranch Water District that I interviewed could not confirm the date of the change that affected all of the water at El Toro.

The underground aquifers contaminated with this hazardous waste under El Toro has moved under prestigious and expensive neighborhoods in Irvine, California. Most people there do not know.

Dr. Phil Leveque of Molalla, Oregon, is a physician, pharmacologist and Forensic Toxicologist. He is one of the most qualified in the nation and he has testified in court more than 400 times in his career. Dr. Leveque writes for Salem-News.com today, and by an odd coincidence, he testified as a toxicologist in one of the first TCE-related court cases in the U.S. in 1974.

Another major coincidence is that I was a Marine stationed in what we now know is one of the most contaminated areas on the base; Marine Wing Support Group-37. Two of the boys in our family had serious health issues as young children. In retrospect, their illnesses are consistent with symptoms from TCE contamination. We will probably never know, another coincidence?

In this interview, Dr. Leveque talks about this chemical manufactured by Dow Chemical, TCE, that was not labeled sufficiently, and has seriously contaminated the Woodbridge neighborhood of Irvine as well as several other areas, according to documents published by the U.S. Navy that are available in at least one Irvine Public Library.

This video is brought to you courtesy of Google Video:

Got a question or comment for Dr. Leveque?
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More information on the history of Dr. Leveque can be found in his book, General Patton's Dogface Soldier of Phil Leveque about his experiences in WWII.
Order the book by mail by following this link: Dogface Soldier If you are a World War II history buff, you don't want to miss it.

Watch for more streaming video question and answer segments about medical marijuana with Bonnie King and Dr. Phil Leveque.

Click on this link for other articles and video segments about PTSD and medical marijuana on Salem-News.com:
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Tim King in 2008, covering the Iraq War

Tim King: Salem-News.com Editor and Writer

Tim King has more than twenty years of experience on the west coast as a television news producer, photojournalist, reporter and assignment editor. Tim is Salem-News.com's Executive News Editor. His background includes covering the war in Afghanistan in 2006 and 2007, and reporting from the Iraq war in 2008. Tim is a former U.S. Marine.

Tim holds awards for reporting, photography, writing and editing from The Associated Press the National Coalition of Motorcyclists, the Oregon Confederation of Motorcycle Clubs, Electronic Media Association and The Red Cross In a personal capacity, Tim has written 2,026 articles as of March 2012 for Salem-News.com since the new format designed by Matt Lintz was launched in December, 2005.

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