District of Columbia AG Filed Lawsuit against Monsanto Over PCB Contamination

In May 2020, District of Columbia Attorney General Karl Racine filed a lawsuit against Monsanto Co. over polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) contamination of the District’s land, waterways and wildlife. In the complaint, AG Racine noted that Monsanto was responsible for the manufacture of “99% or more of all PCBs used or sold within the United States” between 1929 and 1977, when the substances were banned by Congress under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). The complaint alleged that Monsanto was aware of the toxic effects of PCBs as early as 1937, but nevertheless “embarked on a decades-long campaign of misinformation and deception in order to prolong the manufacture, sale, and use of PCBs in the District and elsewhere.”

In July 2020, AG Racine secured a $52 million settlement with Monsanto.