Summary
In June of 2015, responding to residents’ concerns, the United States (U.S.) Marine Corps (USMC) requested the Navy and Marine Corps Public Health Center (NMCPHC) investigate the incidence of pediatric cancers at Laurel Bay Military Housing (LBMH) in Beaufort, South Carolina, which residents believed may be associated with environmental exposures. This report summarizes the findings and can be found here:
Public Health Review Report
Summary
Based on the types and number of pediatric cancers observed, and the evaluation of the recognized risk factors, it is unlikely that an environmental or occupational exposure is associated with these cancers. The term unlikely means that the evidence is insufficient to connect the environmental and occupational conditions to the observed cancers.
More information can be found here:
Public Health Review Fact Sheet
The Navy & Marine Corps Public Health Center (NMCPHC) investigated a number of pediatric cancers among current and former residents of Laurel Bay Military Housing (LBMH) Some residents believe the pediatric cancers may be associated with suspected or unknown environmental exposures. The NMCPHC EpiData Center (EDC) was requested to identify and validate all pediatric cancers among beneficiary children, living or conceived, January 2002 to December 2016.
More information can be found here:
Public Health Review Open House Materials – October 2017
The Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Beaufort and the Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) have prepared this Fact Sheet to provide information about an environmental sampling event that is planned for the Laurel Bay Housing Area. More information can be found here:
Vapor Intrusion Sampling Fact Sheet
In 2007, MCAS Beaufort began a voluntary program to remove home heating oil tanks. Since that time, MCAS Beaufort has removed more than 1,250 tanks. Through review of historical documents and other location efforts using ground penetrating radar, metal detectors, and probes, MCAS Beaufort has identified and removed all known tanks at Laurel Bay. More information can be found here:
Vapor Intrusion Sampling UST Fact Sheet
Click here for the flow chart.
Click here for the flow chart.
In February 2015, the Marine Corps learned that former residents of Laurel Bay expressed concern that their children’s cancer may be linked to the Laurel Bay military housing community. Shortly thereafter, Marine Corps and Navy medical representatives met with the involved families who initiated the social media posts. The Marine Corps is unaware of any association between environmental conditions at Laurel Bay and the illnesses reported by the families. However, to provide the Marine Corps and these families with more information, in June 2015, at the Marine Corps' request, the Navy and Marine Corps Public Health Center (NMCPHC) initiated a Public Health Review (PHR) to determine if completed exposure pathways to contaminants exist at Laurel Bay, MCAS Beaufort and MCRD Parris Island. In addition, they are conducting an epidemiologic investigation to identify and validate all pediatric cancers in military children that lived or were conceived in the Beaufort area to determine if the observed cancers rates exceed what would be expected in this population.
FAQs can be found here:
FAQs