BALTIMORE — On Tuesday the City of Baltimore announced they are filing a lawsuit against a company they claim contaminated city stormwater and other bodies of water.
The lawsuit's goal is to reduce PCBs from the environment and waterways in Baltimore and Maryland. According to the Center for Disease Control, PCBs are a mixture of chemicals which are no longer produced in the US, but are still found in the environment. Some health effects from exposure to PCBs include acne-like skin conditions in adults and neurobehavioral and immunological changes in children. PCBs are also known to cause cancer in animals.
City Solicitor, Andre M. Davis, filed the lawsuit against the Monsanto Company, Solutia, Inc., and Pharmacia LLC for monetary damages associated with PCB chemicals in the City’s stormwater and certain water bodies.
The city says this lawsuit is the first of its kind on the east coast and 15th of its kind nationwide. The suit says that at the time of manufacture and promotion, Monsanto knew that its PCB chemicals were toxic, cannot be contained to their original applications, and do not degrade in nature. It also addresses the public health concerns related to PCBs.
“Baltimore takes seriously the public and environmental health of the entire community. Our city’s rich history and culture includes healthy waterways,” said City Solicitor Andre M. Davis. “This lawsuit sends a strong message that the City will hold corporations accountable for cleaning up their toxic messes. The taxpayers are not responsible for Monsanto’s bad acts.”
The lawsuit does not demand a certain amount of money, but Davis says he believes Monsanto has caused “at least tens of millions of dollars” in legal damages.
