El Toro Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS)
Base Background
The El Toro Marine Corps Air Station was first commissioned in 1943 and is located near Irvine, CA. This base was one of the main aviation support facilities on the West Coast. It also served as a base for military service members deployed to Vietnam. Thousands of military personnel and family members lived on the base until its closing in 1993, making the station an economic hub for the area.
El Toro Marine Base Contamination
The EPA notes 25 potentially contaminated areas across the base: 4 hazardous waste landfills and other sites where toxic materials were either spilled or deliberately disposed of. Contaminants include polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), battery acids, leaded fuels, and various other hazardous substances. Environmental investigations, remediation work, and monitoring of these sites continue today.
The toxic exposure at the El Toro Marine Corps Air Station in Irvine has left a lasting impact on the health of service members stationed there. Veterans who served at El Toro have developed chronic health conditions, potentially linked to exposure to PCBs, TCE and other hazardous chemicals. The contamination’s effects extends beyond the service members themselves, impacting their families and children who lived on or near the base.
Known Toxins
The following chart outlines the toxins associated with this military location and the potential effects of exposure.*
| Toxin | Potential Effects | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strong | Good | Limited | ||
| Battery Acids | Potential Effects | - | - | - |
| Leaded Fuels | Potential Effects | - | - | - |
| Polychlorinated Byphenyls (PCBs) | Potential Effects | Thyroid disorders Hypothyroidism, Porphyria toxic, Developmental Delay, Decreased I.Q../Mental retardation, Cirrhosis, Chloracne, Behavioral problems, ADD/ADHD, hyperactivity | Peripheral neuropathy, Pancreatic cancer, Menstrual disorders, Lymphoma non Hodgkin's, Low birth weight/Small for Gestational Age, Immune suppression, Hepatocellular cancer (Liver cancer), Dyslipidemia, hypercholesterolemia, Delayed growth, Congenital malformation Cranio Facial, Cognitive impairment (includes impaired learning, impaired memory, and decreased attention span), Bronchitis chronic, Acute hepatocellular injury (Hepatitis), Abnormal sperm (morphology, motility, and sperm count) | Testicular cancer, Reduced Fertility Female (infertility and subfertility), Parkinson's disease/Movement disorders, Hypoactivity, Hypertension, Hyperkeratosis/Hyperpigmentation, Hearing loss, Endometriosis, Diabetes Type I, Breast cancer, Bone cancer/Ewings sarcoma, Altered time to sexual maturation (accelerated or delayed puberty), Altered sex ratio |
| Trichloroethylene (TCE) | Potential Effects | Acute hepatocellular injury (Hepatitis) | Scleroderma, Renal (kidney) cancer, Psychiatric disturbances, Lymphoma non Hodgkin's, Hepatocellular cancer (Liver cancer), Fetotoxicity (Miscarriage/spontaneous abortion; stillbirth), Decreased Coordination/ Dysequilibrium, Cirrhosis, Childhood Leukemias, Cardiac congenital malformations, Autoimmune antibodies, positive ANA, Arrhythmias | Trigeminal neuropathy, Testicular cancer, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Raynaud's phenomenon, Prostate cancer, Peripheral neuropathy, Pancreatitis, Pancreatic cancer, Oral clefts (cleft lip and palate), Neural tube defects/CNS malformations, Nephrotic syndrome, Multiple myeloma, Lung cancer, Low birth weight/Small for Gestational Age, Immune suppression, Hodgkin's Disease (lymphoma), Genitourinary malformations (includes cryptorchidism, hypospadias), Cognitive impairment (includes impaired learning, impaired memory, and decreased attention span), Choanal atresia, Cervical cancer, Brain cancer adult, Adult-Onset Leukemias, ADD/ADHD, hyperactivity, Acute tubular necrosis |
| Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) | Potential Effects | Rhinitis irritant | - | - |
If you were stationed or lived on El Toro Marine Corps Air Station and have experience adverse health effects, you may qualify for compensation.
*Effects are according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry unless otherwise noted.
MCAS El Toro VA Claims
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) recognizes toxic exposure during service as potentially eligible for disability benefits, but it can be difficult to prove service connection for non-presumptive illnesses. If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with a condition potentially related to toxic exposure from being stationed at El Toro MCAS (please note the illness list above may be incomplete), get in touch for a free evaluation of your case.