Lawyers dropped a bombshell for Americans at a town hall in Elkton, Maryland, saying every American should get their water tested for PFAS, which can cause cancer and other health issues.
They also gave residents two major updates on a class-action lawsuit that has been going on for two years with the iconic American company Gore-Tex.
"Is this exposure why we kept losing babies?" Asks Taylor O'Ryan, an Elkton resident. "Have I just sentenced my daughter to a lifetime of health illnesses?"
VIDEO: Elkton community speaking out against PFAS linked to cancer in water
Like O'Ryan, the community is concerned, sick, and angry. And they showed up in force to find out if the reason they are sick is because of W.L. Gore.
"We have the right to know what's going on with our body and to be educated about our body," O'Ryan said. "To be prepared when we welcome these babies that we have wanted our whole lives and now to look and them and go, 'I don't know if you're going to have cancer.'"
The first update is the World Health Organization announcing PFAS causes cancer and a host of other health issues in a 700-page study.
Lawyers at the town hall are saying that the chemicals are highly toxic.
In the second update, a Baltimore judge ruled earlier in the week that a larger area of contamination and more people can participate in the class-action suit, which already has over 4000 plaintiffs.
"So our case went from just the Cherry Hill case, it's been amended with the court's approval, to include Fairhill and Appleton," said Philip Federico, a partner with Brockstedt Mandalas Federico, who represents the class action plaintiffs.
He says that every American should get their water tested.
"Everybody in the country, no matter where they live, should get their water tested," Federico said. "You shouldn't be in this position... You're entitled to clean water. And if someone's polluting it, you're entitled to know about it."
Right now, no one knows when the judge is expected to rule on the lawsuit.
W.L. Gore has denied the accusations in the class-action and federal lawsuits. They have information on their clean-up efforts here as well as their efforts to supply drinkable water to Elkton's residents.
You can watch the full town hall here.
