Press ReleaseMay 7, 2020
OAG Lawsuit Alleges Monsanto’s Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) Contaminated D.C.’s Land, Wildlife, and Waters, Including Anacostia and Potomac Rivers
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Attorney General Karl A. Racine today filed a lawsuit against Monsanto Company and two affiliated companies for manufacturing, promoting, and selling toxic chemicals that it knew would pollute waterways, kill wildlife, and endanger District residents. The lawsuit alleges that Monsanto knowingly promoted and sold polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) for nearly 50 years, made false statements to regulators and the public about the safety of these products, and failed to adequately warn the public that PCBs caused significant health problems including cancer and liver damage. PCBs were widely used in consumer and industrial products before they were banned in 1979, contaminating the District’s land, water, fish, and wildlife. Due to their high degree of persistence, the chemicals remain in the District’s environment today, still accumulating in fish and wildlife. According to estimates, clean-up and restoration of the District’s natural resources will cost hundreds of millions of dollars. The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) is seeking to force Monsanto to pay for past, present, and future costs associated with PCB contamination. OAG is also seeking damages and civil penalties.
Content retrieved from: https://oag.dc.gov/release/ag-racine-sues-monsanto-knowingly-promoting-and.
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