Famed environmental activist Erin Brockovich led a protest against Shell Oil in Carson Saturday.

More than 200 protesters marched from a park to Shell’s refinery at the intersection of Wilmington Avenue and Dominguez Street, chanting “Shame on Shell.”

City Council members Lulu Davis-Holmes and Mike Gipson participated in the protest.

They say a tract in the carousel neighborhood is contaminated with high levels of methane and benzene because Shell used to have an oil tank farm there.

They want Shell to clean it up, and say the oil company is trying to avoid responsibility for the contamination by claiming statute of repose, a law that cuts off certain legal rights after a set amount of time has passed.

But Shell spokeswoman Alison Chassin said the company was not claiming statute of repose. “We are conducting an environmental investigation, and our actions clearly indicate something else,” she said.

Chassin said the company has taken 190 soil samples at the 285 affected homes.

“None of the regulatory agencies overseeing the investigation have suggested that there’s imminent health risks to the residents at this point,” Chassin said.

Brockovich encouraged the protesters not to give up.

Brockovich was instrumental in constructing a case against the Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) of California in 1993. She was portrayed by Julia Roberts in a 2000 film that shares her name.