Erin Brockovich weighs in on GenX concerns

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — People are still waiting for the results of the Cape Fear water quality tests to come back.

Back in the ’90s, a heavily toxic chemical named Hexavalent Chromium tainted the waters in Hinkley, California. Environmental activist, Erin Brockovich, was at the forefront of that incident. Now, she’s setting her eyes on the Cape Fear area, saying she wants to know how GenX is impacting our drinking water supply.

“I don’t want to sit here and sound the alarm, but if I had this chemical in my water I would definitely be concerned and I would want some answers,” Brockovich said.

Brockovich spent the past three weeks analyzing articles and looking into any studies on GenX. Hundreds of people from the Cape Fear region have reached out to her, asking what to do.

“This is the thing that frustrates me and it’s frustrating these people. They’re coming to me, they have illnesses that are associated with the chemical PFOA, they’re getting unanswered questions and that’s what makes them nervous,” Brockovich said.

She says that water issues like this should not be happening in the United States in today’s day and age.

“The fact that we are having these water issues, not only in Wilmington, NC, but in hundreds of municipalities and every single sector of the United States of America, is not OK,” she said.

Brockovich believes even though there are no visible signs of damage from GenX, the people should be apprehensive until the test results come back.

“It’s most important now for the people to be aware, be informed, go to meetings, protect yourself, ask about filtration, drink bottled water if that makes you feel more comfortable. I certainly wouldn’t be drinking the tap water and that’s just my opinion,” Brockovich said.

Brockovich says that if the test results come back and show that the concentration of GenX is something to worry about, she’ll be coming to Wilmington to fight the issue.