Residents living near Alcoa's Wagerup refinery have teamed up with famous US anti-pollution campaigner Erin Brockovich to officially begin legal proceedings against the WA aluminium giant.

Australian litigation firm Shine Lawyers confirmed it had filed legal proceedings in the US on behalf of more than 200 clients allegedly harmed by pollution from the refinery in a media statement released today.

Shine Lawyers has combined with Ms Brockovich and US legal firms Caroselli, Beacher, McTiernan & Conboy, and Girardi & Keese to pursue the investigation of Alcoa's activities on behalf of residents of the town of Yarloop.

It is understood Ms Brockovich will travel to Perth next month when further details of the claim will be released.

Shine Lawyers Executive Director Simon Morrison said the claim had been filed in the Philadelphia Court in Pennsylvania, where Alcoa's operational headquarters is based, following a lengthy investigation into the allegations of affected residents.

Ms Brockovich and US lawyers reviewed the case after being contacted by people who have suffered illness and injury that they attribute to polluting emissions from Alcoa's Wagerup refinery.

Mr Morrison said people living near the refinery at Yarloop had complained of respiratory problems, skin irritations, sore throats and eyes, extreme fatigue, mental dysfunction, stomach upset, blood noses, cancers and organ failure for more than a decade.

"Alcoa has consistently denied that it has done anything wrong but we believe there are grounds to proceed further and our Principals have now filed the complaint in the US court," Mr Morrison said.

Mr Morrison said he was unable at this stage to provide further details of the claim.

Alcoa Australia's managing director Alan Cransberg said the company intended to "vigorously defend" the legal action.

Mr Cransberg said he was confident Alcoa's operations were safe for both employees and surrounding communities and said the allegations were without merit.

"We will defend, in the appropriate forum, our performance and reputation as a company," Mr Cransberg said.

"The area surrounding the Wagerup refinery has been the subject of unprecedented air quality review, undertaken by independent specialists using leading edge technology.

"These studies have reinforced our operations are safe for our employees and surrounding communities.

"We do, and will continue to, operate in a safe and sustainable way."

PERTH KATE TARALA AND JAYNE RICKARD