Monsanto PCB trial begins BIRMINGHAM (AP) -- A federal trial has opened over claims Monsanto Co. poisoned an east Alabama community with toxic PCBs and tried to cover up the problem rather than help people.
Attorneys representing about 1,600 Anniston residents in the class-action suit told the nine-member jury Wednesday that the company, now called Solutia, should be forced to pay a "substantial" amount.
"The evidence is going to show that Monsanto dumped PCBs out its back door into the neighborhood for years and years," said plaintiff lawyer Bob Shields.
Residents suing the company include Ruth Mims, who lived closer to the plant than anyone for about 70 years. Her blood contained one of the highest concentrations of PCBs ever found in a human, Shields said.