Monsanto Found Guilty of Polluting

Monsanto, the company linked to the development of genetically modified food, has been found guilty of decades of pollution in a small US town.

The verdict, a victory for 3,500 residents in the Alabama town of Anniston, opened the door for millions of dollars of claims against the company and Solutia, its former chemicals business that was spun off in 1997. Damages have not yet been set.

Monsanto had been accused of pumping the local river with chemicals called PCBs, which were banned by the US government in the 1970s as a possible carcinogen. It had also buried waste in a landfill.

Lawyers claimed Monsanto had deliberately covered up evidence that the PCBs were harmful, including evidence of fish dying in nearby creeks. Internal memos were produced that insisted they should protect the image of the corporation. One said: "We can't afford to lose one dollar of business."

Although a clear link between the chemicals and cancer has not been proven, the people of Anniston have argued for years that their cancer rate is abnormally high. Some of the plaintiffs were found to have PCBs in their blood 27 times higher than the national average.

Monsanto's defence was that it closed the plant in 1971, eight years before the government ban. The company said it was not aware the chemicals were being released or that they could be dangerous. It has spent $40m (£27m) on a clean-up operation.

Other residents' claims are proceeding in separate state trials and 15,000 are planning to pursue a class action. The company has paid $80m in out of court settlements. Pharmacia, the firm that bought Monsanto in 2000, was also found liable.

The chairman of Solutia, John Hunter, said he was disappointed by the verdict. "We understand that Anniston residents have concerns about PCBs. As we've said from the beginning, we're committed to doing what's fair to deal properly with the impacts of previous PCB production at our plant."