Maine is suing biochemical giant Monsanto for allegedly knowingly marketing items made up of destructive chemicals that have contributed to contamination in the state.
The hottest lawsuit concentrating on the firm in excess of the manufacture and sale of products with polychlorinated biphenyls, also regarded as PCBs, was filed on Thursday in Cumberland County Remarkable Courtroom. It alleges that Monsanto understood about the risk of PCBs many years right before they were being banned but ongoing to make and market products and solutions that contains them.
“We have proof that Monsanto realized that its PCBs goods have been producing extensive-lasting harm and selected to proceed to make cash off poisoning Maine’s people today and ecosystem,” Attorney General Aaron Frey said in a statement Friday. “I am using motion to demand from customers that Monsanto spend for the damage it knowingly induced our condition.”
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Monsanto is now owned by Bayer, a pharmaceutical and biotechnology company.
Monsanto, which claimed it discontinued generation of PCBs 5 decades back, described the lawsuit as “meritless” and reported any sale of PCB-that contains products would have occur from third-celebration manufactures since it under no circumstances produced or disposed of PCBs in Maine.
Vermont was the initially condition to sue Monsanto past year about PCB contamination of pure means, followed by dozens of college districts in the point out. Bayer agreed to pay $698 million to Oregon to conclusion a lawsuit in excess of PCB pollution in 2022.
PCBs are joined to quite a few wellness worries and are 1 of the chemicals liable for fish intake advisories in Maine. They had been made use of in setting up elements and electrical gear like transformers, capacitors and fluorescent lighting ballasts. The U.S. Environmental Defense Agency banned manufacturing and specific uses of them in 1979 above worries they could induce cancer and other ailments.
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Maine claimed it will be in search of damages for the charges of cleansing up, checking and mitigating 400 miles of Maine rivers and streams and 1.8 million ocean acres that are now recognized as impaired by PCBs.