Monsanto Faces $857 Million Penalty for Toxic PCBs in Washington Schools

Monsanto has been ordered to pay $857 million to a group of former students and parent volunteers at a Washington state school who claimed that exposure to the company's polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) caused health problems. The plaintiffs alleged that the PCBs, which were commonly used in buildings from the 1950s to 1970s, including in fluorescent light fixtures, led to brain damage and autoimmune disorders. Monsanto, now owned by Bayer, plans to appeal the verdict, stating that the evidence shows the plaintiffs were not exposed to unsafe levels of PCBs. The company is facing thousands of lawsuits over its weed-killing chemical Roundup and additional lawsuits over PCBs.