Erin Brockovich to Investigate Water Pollution in Hoosick Falls

Erin Brockovich — the famed environmental activist portrayed by Julia Roberts in a hit movie — is headed to upstate New York to probe a string of rare cancer deaths and illnesses residents fear were caused by a contaminated water supply.

The Albany Times Union says over decades, a toxic chemical called perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) may have seeped into the underground wells of Hoosick Falls, when workers at a plastics plant cleaned smokestacks and other equipment and dumped the byproducts in a storm drain.

PFOA, used in non-stick coatings and heat-resistant wiring, has been linked to kidney and testicular cancer, as well as thyroid diseases, The Times reports.

More