CHICAGO — The City of Chicago is taking Monsanto to court for allegedly contaminating its waterways.
The lawsuit claims the agrochemical business, three of its corporate successors and a local distributor released polychlorinated biphenyls into the city’s air, water and soil for years.
The city is arguing Monsanto knew PCBs were toxic and misled the public.
Exposure has been shown to damage the liver, thyroid, immune and reproductive systems.
PCBs were banned in the late 1970s but the contaminants continued to spread.
The suit seeks damages to cover the cost of cleanup and remediation.
“Univar Solutions does not comment on pending litigation and looks forward to vigorously defending itself,” the company said in a statement. “The company takes very seriously its long-standing commitment to safely serve the communities in which we operate.”
