Los Angeles sues 3 companies over toxic PCBs in waterways

By JOHN ANTCZAK
Associated Press

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The city of Los Angeles is suing Monsanto and two other companies for past and future costs of dealing with contamination of waterways by long-banned chemicals called polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs. City Attorney Mike Feuer announced the lawsuit Monday, saying long-lasting PCBs were used in numerous products and applications for decades. The chemicals are linked to a wide range of negative health impacts including cancer. The lawsuit seeks compensation for past costs incurred by the city in cleaning up PCB contamination and an abatement fund for future costs. But Feuer would not specify a dollar amount. Monsanto is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Bayer AG. Bayer says it believes the lawsuit is without merit.