Bayer Monsanto: Manufacturer of PCBs instructed to compensate $857m for harmful spills

Chemical company Monsanto has been ordered to pay $857 million to seven individuals who claimed they suffered illnesses due to chemicals leaking from light fixtures at a school in the US. The plaintiffs alleged that the chemicals, known as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), caused them to fall sick. A jury determined Monsanto to be negligent and responsible for selling the PCBs used at the Sky Valley Education Centre in Washington state. The verdict stated that the chemicals were unsafe and lacked proper warnings. PCBs were once commonly used in various products, but were banned by the US government in 1979 after their links to cancer were discovered. The plaintiffs, including former students and parent volunteers, experienced various health issues such as neurological and endocrine system problems. The compensatory damages amount to $73 million, with each plaintiff receiving $112 million in punitive damages. Monsanto, now owned by Bayer, intends to appeal the decision, claiming that it ceased production of PCBs in 1977 and repeatedly advised the school to retrofit the light fixtures. This legal setback is the latest in a series of challenges faced by Monsanto and Bayer, including lawsuits over the weed killer Roundup, which Bayer acquired along with Monsanto in 2018.