Maryland Sues Monsanto Over Chemicals’ ‘Long-Lasting Harm’ On State’s Environment

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BALTIMORE (WJZ) — The authorities of Maryland is suing agrochemical elephantine Monsanto implicit the harm the chemicals the institution manufactured person inflicted connected the state’s earthy resources, Attorney General Brian Frosh announced Tuesday.

The suit filed Tuesday successful Baltimore City Circuit Court alleges that Monsanto knew for decades that its chemicals, known arsenic polychlorinated biphenyls oregon PCBs, were harmful to humans and animals, and bash not interruption down naturally. Yet alternatively of doing thing astir it, the suit says, the institution ramped up production.

The ailment calls for the institution to wage monetary damages and screen clean-up costs linked to the chemicals.

“Monsanto not lone continued to manufacture and merchantability PCBs but accrued accumulation adjacent erstwhile the harm to the situation was undeniable,” Frosh said. “Monsanto’s toxic bequest lives on. Until today, Marylanders person borne the outgo of cleaning up these poisons. It is clip for Monsanto to instrumentality afloat responsibility.”

Banned successful 1979, the man-made chemic compounds were utilized successful a assortment of products, from hydraulic fluid to overgarment to tape, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Because they don’t interruption down connected their ain and due to the fact that tin question done soil, h2o and air, the bureau said, PCBs tin beryllium recovered “all implicit the world,” including successful animals specified arsenic food and the radical who devour them.

The EPA has concluded that PCBs are probable quality carcinogens, oregon cancer-causing substances.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, studies person recovered grounds suggesting a link betwixt vulnerability to PCBs and cases of crab recovered successful people. Exposure to PCBs tin besides origin tegument conditions, lung and chemoreceptor irritation, slump and fatigue, the CDC found.

The suit states that Monsanto was the lone U.S. institution that manufactured PCBs for wide usage betwixt 1935 and 1977. Even though their usage was aboriginal banned, they “continue to pollute Maryland’s earthy resources and waterways, including the Susquehanna River, Baltimore Harbor and the Chesapeake Bay,” successful summation to the state’s food and wildlife, the suit says.

Citing the company’s interior documents, Frosh’s bureau said Monsanto kept producing, promoting and selling PCBs contempt knowing of the harms they origin due to the fact that the institution was acrophobic astir missing retired connected profits.

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“This is an important and indispensable measurement to clasp Monsanto accountable truthful the authorities tin proceed to marque advancement successful preventing toxic contamination and recovering from decades of damage,” Maryland Environment Secretary Ben Grumbles said.