Brockovich's team digs for answers in LeRoy

LEROY, N.Y. (WIVB) - Erin Brockovich sent a team to LeRoy Saturday to dig for answers about a medical mystery there but not every one is happy about it.

Nationally-known environmentalist, Erin Brockovich, has her own theory about what's causing the mysterious neurological illness of 15 students at LeRoy Central High School.

To test that theory, Brockovich sent an investigative team to the school grounds Saturday morning.

Brockovich said, "In 1971, there was a very serious train derailment that caused one ton of cyanide to spill, and 45,000 gallons of TCE."

TCE, trichloroethylene, has been associated with neurological disorders.

In an appearance Friday on the "Dr. Drew" show, Brockovich revealed that testing by the EPA and another federal agency, the Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry, found leftover TCE and cyanide was actively spreading through the bedrock and into the water table.

That was in 1999.

Back then, the chemical plume extended four miles to the east and southeast, putting it right underneath LeRoy High School.

"Family has reported that there's an orange-yellow substance that almost kind of oozes from the ground and that is on the children's clothing, their shoes," added Brockovich.

According to the school district, Brockovich's team never asked permission to take samples on school property.

Not long after investigators, parents, and media showed up on the school grounds, law enforcement turned them away.

Bob Bowcock, a Brockovich investigator said, "It's been limited access. We were not allowed to take any samples. We were policed rather closely."

A statement from the LeRoy Central School District called it an "appalling" move "that can only be characterized as grandstanding."

The group still collected soil and water samples from nearby homes and wells, on a path heading toward the derailment site.

Bowcock said, "We're initially looking for anything that just stands out. So far, we haven't seen anything that's obvious or that stands out. It doesn't mean that something won't come before us."