Monsanto Sued For Allegedly Selling Toxic Chemicals In Ohio

CINCINNATI, OH — Chemical manufacturer Monsanto allegedly sold toxic chemicals to Ohioans for close to four decades, according to a new lawsuit filed by Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine. The company is being accused of selling products containing the toxic chemical compound PCBs.

“Ohioans deserve to enjoy their natural resources without contamination from these toxic chemicals, and we believe Monsanto should be held responsible for the damage it caused,” DeWine said. “Our goal in taking this action is to protect Ohio, its citizens, and its natural resources.”

DeWine's lawsuit says the company sold a variety of products containing PCBs starting in 1927 and continuing through 1977. PCBs, known as polychlorinated biphenyls, were used in a variety of applications, including paints, inks, caulks, sealants, lubricants, electrical equipment and carbonless copy paper. However, the chemicals were primarily used in commercial and industrial applications, a Monsanto spokesperson said.

At the time, PCBs were viewed as non-flammable, electrical insulating products. They were viewed as safe and the products were frequently used by manufacturers in Ohio, the lawsuit said.

However, the company is vehemently denying the allegations in the lawsuit, with one spokesperson saying the company never sold PCBs-based products after their danger came out.

"Monsanto voluntarily stopped producing PCBs more than 40 years ago. Monsanto sold PCBs to many industrial and manufacturing customers, as well as the U.S. government, which put them to various uses and disposed of them in different ways," said Scott Partridge, vice president of global strategy at Monsanto in an email to Patch. "We are still reviewing this lawsuit, and we will defend ourselves aggressively."

PCBs reportedly fail to break down over time. Instead, the compounds can build-up in living things and contaminate the food chain. DeWine said that dozens of rivers, creeks, lakes, ponds and other bodies of water in Ohio are contaminated with PCBs. The compounds can also be found in fish, soil, plants and air, the lawsuit said.

What does that mean for humans? According to the EPA, there's evidence that links PCBs to cancer and other dangerous conditions that impact the immune system, the neurological system and more.

DeWine's lawsuit claims that Monsanto knew PCBs were toxic to humans in the 1930s. Instead of stopping production with the compounds, the lawsuit said, the company concealed the dangers, denied the toxicity and failed to warn customers.

The lawsuit wants money from the company to clean up PCB contamination from around the state, and relief of Ohio's natural resources. Besides Monsanto, the lawsuit also names Solutia and Pharmacia as defendants. Solutia took over the original Monsanto company's chemical business. Pharmacia is the successor to the original Monsanto company.

The use of PCBs in production, with few exceptions, was banned in the United States in 1979. The agency's lead administrator, Douglas M. Costle, had this to say at the time, "This will help prevent further contamination of our air, water and food supplies from a toxic and very persistent man-made chemical."

Read the full lawsuit filed against Monsanto by clicking here.

Photo from Rick Uldricks, Patch