SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Monsanto Off the Hook for Cancers From PCBs It Produced
St. Louis County Circuit Court finds company not negligent
Jul 08, 2015
Monsanto emerged victorious on Tuesday at the end of a nearly month-long trial in which plaintiffs had alleged the former manufacturer of PCBs showed "a reckless disregard for human life."
PCBs, or polychlorinated biphenyls, were manufactured in the U.S. from 1929 until being banned in 1979, and, according to reporting by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Monsanto was the primary manufacturer of them. The EPA classifies PCBs as probable human carcinogens.
The suit charges Monsanto with negligence for production and sale of PCBs despite knowledge of their harm.
"Such conduct was gross and flagrant and done with a reckless disregard for human life and for the safety of others," the Post-Dispatch reports the lawsuit as stating.
Plaintiffs in the case developed lymphohematopoietic cancer after being exposed to PCBs. The Post-Dispatch reports that a St. Louis County jury found the company not liable for the deaths and health effects from the exposure.
As to why Solutia, Pharmacia and Pfizer are also named in the suit, the Post-Disptach explains:
In 1997, Monsanto's chemical business was spun off as Solutia. Three years later, the rest of Monsanto -- its life sciences division -- merged with Pharmacia. Then in 2002, the current incarnation of Monsanto, based in Creve Coeur, was spun off. A year later, Pharmacia merged with Pfizer.
ThinkProgress' Natasha Geiling reported earlier this year on other suits against Monsanto related to PCBs, including one filed by the city of San Diego. Geiling writes:
In a 1970 internal memo, agrochemical giant Monsanto alerted its development committee to a problem: Polychlorinated Biphenyls -- known as PCBs -- had been shown to be a highly toxic pollutant.
PCBs -- sold under the common name Aroclor -- were also huge business, raking in some $10 million in profits. Not wanting to lose all of these profits, Monsanto decided to continue its production of Aroclor while alerting its customers to its potentially adverse effects. Monsanto got out of the PCB business altogether in 1977 -- two years before the chemicals were banned by the EPA -- but just because the company no longer produces the toxic substances doesn't mean it can forget about them completely.
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. US voters have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. If you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Monsanto emerged victorious on Tuesday at the end of a nearly month-long trial in which plaintiffs had alleged the former manufacturer of PCBs showed "a reckless disregard for human life."
PCBs, or polychlorinated biphenyls, were manufactured in the U.S. from 1929 until being banned in 1979, and, according to reporting by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Monsanto was the primary manufacturer of them. The EPA classifies PCBs as probable human carcinogens.
The suit charges Monsanto with negligence for production and sale of PCBs despite knowledge of their harm.
"Such conduct was gross and flagrant and done with a reckless disregard for human life and for the safety of others," the Post-Dispatch reports the lawsuit as stating.
Plaintiffs in the case developed lymphohematopoietic cancer after being exposed to PCBs. The Post-Dispatch reports that a St. Louis County jury found the company not liable for the deaths and health effects from the exposure.
As to why Solutia, Pharmacia and Pfizer are also named in the suit, the Post-Disptach explains:
In 1997, Monsanto's chemical business was spun off as Solutia. Three years later, the rest of Monsanto -- its life sciences division -- merged with Pharmacia. Then in 2002, the current incarnation of Monsanto, based in Creve Coeur, was spun off. A year later, Pharmacia merged with Pfizer.
ThinkProgress' Natasha Geiling reported earlier this year on other suits against Monsanto related to PCBs, including one filed by the city of San Diego. Geiling writes:
In a 1970 internal memo, agrochemical giant Monsanto alerted its development committee to a problem: Polychlorinated Biphenyls -- known as PCBs -- had been shown to be a highly toxic pollutant.
PCBs -- sold under the common name Aroclor -- were also huge business, raking in some $10 million in profits. Not wanting to lose all of these profits, Monsanto decided to continue its production of Aroclor while alerting its customers to its potentially adverse effects. Monsanto got out of the PCB business altogether in 1977 -- two years before the chemicals were banned by the EPA -- but just because the company no longer produces the toxic substances doesn't mean it can forget about them completely.
Monsanto emerged victorious on Tuesday at the end of a nearly month-long trial in which plaintiffs had alleged the former manufacturer of PCBs showed "a reckless disregard for human life."
PCBs, or polychlorinated biphenyls, were manufactured in the U.S. from 1929 until being banned in 1979, and, according to reporting by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Monsanto was the primary manufacturer of them. The EPA classifies PCBs as probable human carcinogens.
The suit charges Monsanto with negligence for production and sale of PCBs despite knowledge of their harm.
"Such conduct was gross and flagrant and done with a reckless disregard for human life and for the safety of others," the Post-Dispatch reports the lawsuit as stating.
Plaintiffs in the case developed lymphohematopoietic cancer after being exposed to PCBs. The Post-Dispatch reports that a St. Louis County jury found the company not liable for the deaths and health effects from the exposure.
As to why Solutia, Pharmacia and Pfizer are also named in the suit, the Post-Disptach explains:
In 1997, Monsanto's chemical business was spun off as Solutia. Three years later, the rest of Monsanto -- its life sciences division -- merged with Pharmacia. Then in 2002, the current incarnation of Monsanto, based in Creve Coeur, was spun off. A year later, Pharmacia merged with Pfizer.
ThinkProgress' Natasha Geiling reported earlier this year on other suits against Monsanto related to PCBs, including one filed by the city of San Diego. Geiling writes:
In a 1970 internal memo, agrochemical giant Monsanto alerted its development committee to a problem: Polychlorinated Biphenyls -- known as PCBs -- had been shown to be a highly toxic pollutant.
PCBs -- sold under the common name Aroclor -- were also huge business, raking in some $10 million in profits. Not wanting to lose all of these profits, Monsanto decided to continue its production of Aroclor while alerting its customers to its potentially adverse effects. Monsanto got out of the PCB business altogether in 1977 -- two years before the chemicals were banned by the EPA -- but just because the company no longer produces the toxic substances doesn't mean it can forget about them completely.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.
To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good.
News & Opinion
Trending
Common Dreams, Inc. Founded 1997. Registered 501(c3) Non-Profit
Privacy Policy