Monsanto Co. and its legacy businesses allowed polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) to contaminate San Francisco Bay, including through stormwater runoff from Oakland, Calif., streets, the city argued in a federal lawsuit (Oakland v. Monsanto Corp., N.D. Cal., 3:15-cv-05152, 11/10/15).
Oakland, which is facing potential action from the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) over PCB-containing stormwater runoff, accused Monsanto of creating a public nuisance through the leaching of the chemical, which was banned decades ago, and poisoning water, wildlife and fish in a complaint filed Nov. 10 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. ...