It’s estimated that more than a million people used the water over the course of these years without knowing that it was contaminated. Water tests conducted in 1982 found carcinogenic substances that cause severe, long-term damage to humans. By then, it was too late to reverse what had already been put into motion. As a result, many of the residents and workers at Camp Lejeune were diagnosed with cancer, miscarriage, birth defects, and even Parkinson’s disease.