For at least 30 years, residents of Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune near Jacksonville drank water laced with the dangerous carcinogens trichloroethylene, tetrachloroethylene, benzene and other harmful compounds that leached into the water system. Since the problem was discovered, military officials have done precious little to assist those suffering ill health as a result.

All of North Carolina can be proud of its U.S. Senate delegation — Republican Richard Burr and Democrat Kay Hagan — for their relentless advocacy on behalf of the victims. They have refused to let the issue rest and have devoted considerable time and energy to help those affected by the contamination and to hold those responsible to account for their actions.

Burr and Hagan joined U.S. Rep. Brad Miller of North Carolina and lawmakers from Florida and Michigan this week in sending a letter to the director of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention regarding a Jan. 19 report about the water contamination at Camp Lejeune. They questioned why part of the report was blacked out and called for the investigation process to be open and transparent.

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