SALISBURY — Local lawyer Mona Lisa Wallace was appointed Wednesday as co-lead counsel for the plaintiffs in litigation centered in North Carolina over contaminated water at the United State Marine Corps base Camp Lejeune. The litigation is based around cancers and other severe illnesses related to the contaminated water.

Wallace was appointed by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina.

The proceedings relate to the Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022, a bipartisan bill signed by President Biden on Aug. 10, 2022. The law allows qualified individuals exposed to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune between 1953 and 1987 to pursue claims for compensation. During the pertinent times, the water at Camp Lejeune was contaminated with chemicals including benzene, trichloroethylene, tetrachloroethylene, and vinyl chloride. Exposure to these chemicals can cause myriad conditions including kidney cancer, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, leukemia, liver cancer, bladder cancer, Parkinson’s disease and others.

“It is a great honor and responsibility to be appointed by the court to be able to represent the military families in their progress toward swift and fair justice. I look forward to dutifully carrying out my duties as co-lead counsel,” said Wallace.