Current:Home > NewsMaine sues biochemical giant over contamination from PCB-tainted products-InfoLens
Maine sues biochemical giant over contamination from PCB-tainted products
View Date:2024-12-23 15:38:50
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Maine is suing biochemical giant Monsanto for allegedly knowingly selling products containing harmful chemicals that have contributed to contamination in the state.
The latest lawsuit targeting the company over the manufacture and sale of products with polychlorinated biphenyls, also known as PCBs, was filed on Thursday in Cumberland County Superior Court. It alleges that Monsanto knew about the danger of PCBs years before they were banned but continued to make and sell products containing them.
“We have evidence that Monsanto knew that its PCBs products were causing long-lasting harm and chose to continue to make money off poisoning Maine’s people and environment,” Attorney General Aaron Frey said in a statement Friday. “I am taking action to demand that Monsanto pay for the harm it knowingly caused our state.”
Monsanto is now owned by Bayer, a pharmaceutical and biotechnology company.
Monsanto, which said it discontinued production of PCBs five decades ago, described the lawsuit as “meritless” and said any sale of PCB-containing products would have come from third-party manufactures because it never manufactured or disposed of PCBs in Maine.
Vermont was the first state to sue Monsanto last year over PCB contamination of natural resources, followed by dozens of school districts in the state. Bayer agreed to pay $698 million to Oregon to end a lawsuit over PCB pollution in 2022.
PCBs are linked to numerous health concerns and are one of the chemicals responsible for fish consumption advisories in Maine. They were used in building materials and electrical equipment like transformers, capacitors and fluorescent lighting ballasts. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency banned manufacturing and certain uses of them in 1979 over concerns they could cause cancer and other illnesses.
Maine said it will be seeking damages for the costs of cleaning up, monitoring and mitigating 400 miles (644 kilometers) of Maine rivers and streams and 1.8 million ocean acres (728,000 hectares) that are currently identified as impaired by PCBs.
veryGood! (93355)
Related
- Kalen DeBoer, Jalen Milroe save Alabama football season, as LSU's Brian Kelly goes splat
- Mississippi activists ask to join water lawsuit and criticize Black judge’s comments on race
- FDA advisers vote against experimental ALS treatment pushed by patients
- Russell Brand allegations prompt U.K. police to open sex crimes investigation
- Skiing legend Lindsey Vonn ends retirement, plans to return to competition
- 'We are just ecstatic': Man credits granddaughter for helping him win $2 million from scratch off game
- What happens to health programs if the federal government shuts down?
- British Museum seeks public help in finding stolen artefacts
- Watch out, Temu: Amazon Haul, Amazon's new discount store, is coming for the holidays
- Prosecutors say cheek swab from Gilgo Beach murder suspect adds to evidence of guilt
Ranking
- What Happened to Kevin Costner’s Yellowstone Character? John Dutton’s Fate Revealed
- A Danish artist who submitted empty frames as artwork is appealing court ruling to repay the cash
- McIlroy says LIV defectors miss Ryder Cup more than Team Europe misses them
- Former Spain women’s national team coach Jorge Vilda added to probe into Rubiales’ kissing a player
- Diamond Sports Group will offer single-game pricing to stream NBA and NHL games starting next month
- In 'Cassandro,' a gay luchador finds himself, and international fame
- The Czech government has approved a defense ministry plan to acquire two dozen US F-35 fighter jets
- Germany bans far-right group that tried to indoctrinate children with Nazi ideology
Recommendation
-
Mike Tomlin's widely questioned QB switch to Russell Wilson has quieted Steelers' critics
-
Race to replace Mitt Romney heats up as Republican Utah House speaker readies to enter
-
Japan’s court recognizes more victims of Minamata mercury poisoning and awards them compensation
-
Ex boyfriend arrested in case of Crystal Rogers, Kentucky mom who disappeared in 2015
-
Jordan Chiles Reveals She Still Has Bronze Medal in Emotional Update After 2024 Olympics Controversy
-
Over 50,000 Armenians flee enclave as exodus accelerates
-
The natural disaster economist
-
Ohio wants to resume enforcing its abortion law. Justices are weighing the legal arguments