NEWS: (NEW YORK, N.Y.) Environmental activist Erin Brockovich, together with a team of Weitz & Luxenberg attorneys, look forward to meeting with victims of the Hoosick Falls, New York PFOA groundwater contamination on Saturday, January 30, 2016, said the nationally known personal injury and mass tort law firm.
This community meeting will be held between noon and 2 p.m. in the Greenwall Auditorium at Bennington College, Bennington, Vermont, 15 minutes away from Hoosick Falls. Here are directions to the Auditorium: http://www.benningtondance.org/greenwall.html.
Ms. Brockovich also plans to visit the stricken upstate New York town for a tour, followed by a discussion at the Auditorium with residents about the local water contamination. She will be accompanied by Weitz & Luxenberg’s Robin L. Greenwald, who heads the firm’s Environmental, Toxic Tort & Consumer Protection litigation unit, and other attorneys from the firm.
Ms. Brockovich, a long time environmental advocate, will share her experiences dealing with water contamination. Weitz & Luxenberg will discuss the legal options and remedies available to Hoosick Falls clients and other residents who seek assistance, the firm announced.
PFOA Contamination Making Residents Sick:
Ms. Brockovich and Weitz & Luxenberg have been investigating suspected causes and consequences of the PFOA water contamination problem affecting Hoosick Falls since early January, said Ms. Greenwald. “This investigation was conducted to allow us to seek justice for the affected residents from those responsible for the contamination,” she stated.
PFOA is a synthetic substance used in the manufacture of no-stick cookware, dental floss, electrical insulation and other familiar products.
The municipal water supply in Hoosick Falls has been found to contain potentially dangerous levels of PFOA. Some residents of the town have reported falling ill after using this water for drinking and cooking.
Chronic PFOA exposure has been linked to testicular cancer, kidney cancer, thyroid disease, high cholesterol, ulcerative colitis and pregnancy-induced hypertension. Studies suggest other possible health consequences including a possible connection to pancreatic cancer.
EPA Also Looking Into PFOA Problem:
Ms. Brockovich’s visit comes after a January 14 public meeting that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) conducted. Officials with the New York State Department of Health and Department of Environmental Conservation also attended that meeting, stated Weitz & Luxenberg.
According to the Albany, New York, Times Union newspaper, angry and frustrated residents filled the auditorium looking for answers and solutions.
EPA Regional Administrator Judith Enck led the meeting and apologized to residents for the misery they are enduring.
“I’m very, very sorry that you have been going through this,” the Times Union quoted Ms. Enck as saying. “I’m sorry that we don’t know how long you have been drinking contaminated water…. Action should be taken to protect your health.”
State officials at the meeting announced that they had requested that the EPA place the suspected major source of Hoosick Falls PFOA contamination on the EPA’s Superfund cleanup site list. EPA officials announced that the earliest that Hoosick Falls could be considered for Superfund status would be in the fall of 2016, said the firm.
For more information, visit the Weitz & Luxenberg Hoosick Falls web page at http://hoosickfallslawsuit.com/.
About Weitz & Luxenberg:
Weitz & Luxenberg P.C. is among the nation’s leading and most readily recognized personal injury and consumer protection law firms. Weitz & Luxenberg’s numerous litigation areas include: mesothelioma, defective medicine and devices, environmental pollutants, products liability, consumer protection, accidents, personal injury, and medical malpractice. Victims of consumer fraud are invited to rely on Weitz & Luxenberg’s more than 25 years of experience handling such cases. You can contact the firm’s Client Relations department at 800-476-6070 or at info@weitzlux.com.
More information: http://www.weitzlux.com/.
Twitter: @WeitzLuxenberg
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