Erin Brockovich Law Firm To Look Into Local Water Contamination

The law firm that works with Erin Brockovich announced on Tuesday that they will be investigating the drinking water contamination in Horsham, Warminster, and surrounding communities.

The firm Weitz & Luxenberg will work with Brockovich, a consumer advocate, as they look into the proliferation of cancer-causing chemicals PFOA or PFOS, the firm announced in a news release.

”The people of Pennsylvania recently woke up to find out that they have been consuming chemical-tainted water without their knowledge,” Robin Greenwald, head of the Environmental and Consumer Protection Unit at Weitz & Luxenberg, said in a statement. ”Like so many other communities across the country also facing a PFOA-contaminated drinking water crisis, this community has many questions about how long they have been drinking this dangerous water, what effect it is having on their well-being and who is at fault. This investigation will seek to answer those questions.”

The chemicals found on the base were perfluorinated compounds, including perfluorooctane sulfonoate (PFOS) and perfluoroctanoic acid (PFOA). It is believed many of the chemicals originally came from firefighting training on the base property, although the government's investigative teams are not sure on that point, State Rep. Todd Stephens said.

Chronic PFOA exposure has been linked to a number of different cancers and other health issues, which is partly why the EPA last month revised its guidelines for the acceptable amount of PFOA and PFOS in a water supply from 400 parts per trillion to 70 ppt, Weitz & Luxenberg said.

Based on these guidelines, Horsham and Warminster both showed high levels of PFOA or PFOS in their drinking water supplies.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health recently announced an "unprecedented" regional cancer study of residents in the Warminster and Horsham area impacted by contaminated wells near the former Naval Air Base, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

”Communities across our country are realizing that the source of life — water — could in fact be making them seriously ill,” Brockovich said in a statement. ”It is time to give this community a voice and make sure those responsible are held accountable for this issue.”

Wells in Horsham, Warminster and Warrington have been taken offline due to the contamination. State and local agencies have been providing bottled water to affected residents.

Weitz & Luxenberg said that they have conducted similar investigations in New York, Vermont and New Hampshire, and recently filed a federal class action lawsuit against a plastics company for its role in PFOA water contamination in Hoosick Falls, NY.