ATLANTA — Environmental activist Erin Brockovich will travel to Northeast Georgia this weekend to raise awareness about the presence of PFAS that have been found in local water sources.
PFAS, the acronym for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are also known as "forever chemicals" because they don't break down in nature. They have been linked to serious health issues from fertility problems to cancer.
Brockovich and the legal team of PFAS Georgia will hold two town hall meetings in the state to discuss the chemicals' local impacts.
- The first town hall will be held on Friday, Sept., 20 at 6 p.m., at The Venue at Cottonwood Farm, 350 Crisp Road, Chatsworth, Georgia.
- The second will be held on Saturday, Sept. 21, at 10 a.m. at The Spot 365, 365 South Industrial Blvd, Calhoun, Georgia.
Brockovich told 11Alive Investigates Thursday that the levels that have been detected in Georgia water sources are among the worst she's ever seen in her 30 years of environmental advocacy work.
"The level of contamination is some of the highest we've seen in the United States," said Brockovich. "The people need help. People are reporting illnesses, and they're losing their freedom and their independence to farm and grow food in their yard, on their land, and their water supply is tainted, so it's very apparent that they need some help."
Not long ago, in April 2024, the Environmental Protection Agency issued the first-ever legal limit standards on forever chemicals.
It now requires 262 Georgia public water systems to test for PFAS and report their results by 2025.
Hazardous amounts have been found by at least 22 of those so far. The majority are concentrated in Northwest Georgia.
Chemical makers like Dupont and 3M have manufactured PFAS for decades for a variety of products including furniture, carpet, and cookware.
Both Dupont and 3M have already paid about $10 billion to settle lawsuits brought on by local governments related to the contamination. The city of Rome, Georgia received at least $233 million of that.
However, in most of those cases, it's still not enough to pay for the upgrades water systems say they need to actually remove the chemicals.
Brockovich says PFAS have been found in not only tap water, but also in lakes where people swim, soil that food is grown in, and water sources consumed by livestock.
"Up in Maine they've had to kill the cows," she said. "They can't eat the chicken eggs. They can't eat the deer. They can no longer fish, they can't eat the fish. This location in Georgia is posed to be just exactly that, if not worse. Not to mention looking at the health impacts to public health and welfare. This is really sounding an alarm."
