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.

“This is one of the most important pieces of legislation I’ve worked on in three and a half years in congress,” Slotkin said. “Burn pits are the Agent Orange of the 9/11 generation of veterans, and this landmark bill on toxic exposure will help more than 3.5 million more American veterans access the treatment and benefits they earned during their service.

Their myriad “service-related conditions” will hopefully become easier to prove when, as expected, Biden signs the Honoring Our PACT Act this month. One of those conditions is glioblastoma—the cancer that killed Biden’s late son, Beau, after his service in Iraq.