PCB Lawsuits

For nearly a century, industrial chemicals have polluted the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the foods we eat. One of the most devastating has been polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). These man-made chemicals leach from soil into groundwater and the air, which in turn contaminates fish, animals, and humans. Such toxic exposure has led to afflictions that include a wide array of cancers, stunted growth, damage to the reproductive and nervous systems, and death.

Although PCBs were outlawed half a century ago through the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), they still cause extensive global harm. That’s because they don’t easily break down in the environment and can remain in many products and older buildings. If you or a loved one has been harmed by PCB exposure, you may be eligible to pursue a personal injury lawsuit against the big corporations responsible for it.

Contact The Driscoll Firm, P.C., today for your free, no-obligation consultation with a PCB lawsuit attorney to learn about your legal options. Your case review is fully confidential, and you pay nothing unless we successfully resolve your claim.

What Are PCBs?

PCBs are manmade chemicals that, for nearly 50 years, were widely used in industrial and commercial applications. They were developed, manufactured, and used by Monsanto Inc., under the common trade names Aroclor and Pyranol.

PCBs’ characteristics are as follows:

• A mixture of 209 individual compounds
• Colorless to light yellow liquids or solids
• Non-volatile, tasteless, and odorless
• Insoluble in water but soluble in fats and oils
• Stable mixtures that are resistant to extreme pressure and temperature

PCBs are listed by the National Toxicology Program 11th Report on Carcinogens as “reasonably anticipated to be human carcinogens,” and as a probable human carcinogen by both the International Agency for Research on Cancer and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Where Can You Find PCBs?

Although no longer commercially produced in the U.S., PCBs may be present in products and materials produced before the TSCA, such as the following:

• Adhesives and tapes
• Floor finish
• Oil-based paint
• Plastics
• Caulking
• Carbonless copy paper
• Old electrical devices or appliances that contain PCB capacitors
• Cable insulation
• Oil used in motors and hydraulic systems
• Thermal insulation material (felt, fiberglass, cork, and foam)

How Do PCBs Make Their Way Into the Environment?

Despite the EPA’s extensive policies and protocols for the use, cleanup, and disposal of PCBs, they don’t readily break down once they’re in the environment. PCBs can remain in the environment for long periods as they cycle between air, water, and soil.

As examples, PCBs can accumulate in above-ground parts of plants and food crops, as well as in leaves. With land and bodies of water contaminated with PCBs, they can bioaccumulate in fish and fish, thus threatening species and exposing other animals and humans to PCBs through ingestion.

PCBs can be released into the environment in the following ways:

• Poorly maintained, hazardous waste sites containing PCBs
• PCB wastes being illegally or improperly dumped
• Leaks or releases from electrical transformers that contain PCBs
• PCB-containing consumer products being disposed of in municipal or other landfills that are not designed to handle hazardous waste
• Waste being burned in municipal and industrial incinerators

What Are the Health Effects of PCBs?

The EPA reports in detail how PCBs can affect the body’s immune, reproductive, nervous, and endocrine systems. Studies on health issues caused by PCBs show numerous forms of cancer, such as melanoma, pancreatic cancer, liver cancer, and various gastrointestinal and respiratory cancers.

They typically accumulate in the body’s skin, fat tissue, and liver. In some cases, they can be found in plasma and breast milk. According to the EPA, PCBs can cause problems in both developing fetuses and children, low birth weight, and low IQ test scores and behavior assessment.

How Did PCB Contamination Come to Be?

The history of PCB contamination dates back to 1929, when Monsanto (now a subsidiary of Bayer) initiated commercial production of these synthetic chemicals for use in electrical equipment, plasticizers, and other industrial products. Because of their chemical stability and fire resistance, PCBs were widely used up through the 1960s for transformers, capacitors, plasticizers, and carbonless copy paper.

However, in 1936, the first serious PCB-related health concerns were noted, as industrial workers exposed to PCBs suffered skin irritations and other effects. Nearly 10 years later, studies by the Industrial Hygiene Research Laboratory of the National Institutes of Health found potential for systemic poisoning, including liver damage, from exposure to chlorinated substances like PCBs.

Still, PCB production persisted. In the mid-1960s, PCBs were first discovered in the environment, revealing their global distribution. The incidents included a contaminated Swedish white-tailed eagle, a poisoning incident in Japan involving contaminated rice oil, and large amounts of PCBs found in the Hudson River (due to General Electric discharging PCBs into the water over a 30-year period).

One such incident involved the Monsanto plant in Sauget, Illinois, which in the late 1960s was the nation’s largest producer of PCB compounds. The PCBs remained in the water along Dead Creek, prompting an EPA official to refer to the area as “one of the most polluted communities in the region” and “a soup of different chemicals.”

A 1976 EPA report, “PCBs In The United States Industrial Use and Environmental Distribution,” confirmed that over 1 billion pounds of PCBs had been produced in the U.S. up to that time.

The TSCA of 1976 put a ban on most uses of PCBs (effective 1979), while the 2001 Stockholm Convention was signed to phase out or ban persistent organic pollutants, including PCBs, globally. However, PCBs would remain a problem, as they would be created inadvertently in some manufacturing processes and released into the water and air through legacy products, waste sites, and improper disposal.

What Did Monsanto Do?

Numerous reports, studies, and documents demonstrated that Monsanto knew, as far back as the 1930s, that PCBs were toxic and were contaminating natural resources and living organisms. Further allegations state that Monsanto concealed these facts for decades, up until the TSCA.

Toxic Docs, a free online database housing millions of previously classified documents on industrial poisons, includes the following on PCBs and Monsanto:

• In 1970, the St. Louis Globe Democrat reported that Congressman William F. Ryan (D-N.Y.) described PCBs, which were being manufactured in St. Louis, “as a threat to the environment perhaps as great as DDT” and “may be a major ecological disaster.”
• In 1978, the EPA said that PCBs posed “an unreasonable risk to health and the environment in the United States.” Monsanto countered that banning its high-PCB heat-transfer systems would cause further environmental and economic damage.
• A 1995 memo has Monsanto reporting on the successful use of its cancer-causing weed killer Roundup in the Galapagos Islands, suggesting that it be highlighted to improve the company’s image.
• A 1990 internal federal memo from the EPA reports that Monsanto manipulated study results to deny the toxicity of dioxin and obscure its health effects.

Monsanto voluntarily ceased manufacturing PCBs in 1977.

Was There Any Litigation Against Monsanto?

Yes. In the decades following the TSCA, the company faced numerous lawsuits alleging environmental impairment, property damage, and personal injury related to PCBs.

In 2003, Monsanto and one of its corporate spin-offs, Solutia Inc., agreed to a $700 million settlement with the residents of West Anniston, Alabama, who had been affected by PCB manufacturing and dumping. Jurors for the six-week trial determined that Monsanto “engaged in outrageous behavior,” holding it liable for “negligence, nuisance, wantonness and suppression of the truth.”

Other cities across the U.S. began filing Monsanto PCB contamination lawsuits in 2015, contending that the PCBs it produced contaminated wastewater systems, water bodies, stormwater, sediment, fish, wildlife, and natural resources. This led to a 2020 motion to approve a $550 million class-action settlement with Monsanto across 13 states to resolve the ongoing litigation.

As of November 2025, class-action and multi-district litigation continues in U.S. federal courts.

What Should I Do If I Think I’ve Been Exposed to PCBs?

• Seek medical attention from a healthcare professional experienced in toxic exposure, then follow their treatment plan and comply with follow-up appointments.
• Document the details of your suspected exposure, such as the date, time, location, and circumstances surrounding it.
• Report your alleged exposure to the appropriate authorities or regulatory agencies, such as regional environmental health departments and occupational safety agencies.
• Preserve any physical evidence related to the exposure, such as contaminated clothing, environmental samples, or product packaging.
• Keep records of your related expenses, such as medical bills, prescriptions, and associated costs, as well as any missed workdays or reduced earning capacity stemming from your health condition.
• Speak with an experienced toxic tort litigation attorney, who can assess your case, help determine if you have grounds for a legal claim, and explain your legal rights.

What Compensation Could I Receive for Injuries Due to PCB Exposure?

Victims of PCB exposure may be eligible to receive compensation, depending on the circumstances of their PCB case and the severity of their injuries. Compensation may cover the following:

If your loved one died due to PCB exposure, our law firm can support you in filing a wrongful death lawsuit to demand justice and financial security for your family.

Additionally, there are instances in which a judge may award punitive damages to the plaintiffs in a PCB exposure lawsuit. This award is designed to punish the large-scale industry or other wrongdoer on trial for their reckless, egregious behavior, as well as send a message to others that such behavior won’t be tolerated.

Contact a PCB Litigation Attorney Today

The Driscoll Firm, P.C., is a widely recognized law practice that focuses on complex environmental and toxic exposure litigation in Illinois, Missouri, and across the U.S. Since 2008, our law firm has recovered nearly $2 billion for thousands of individual citizens and public entities in high-profile environmental law and toxic mass tort cases.

Contact the PCB lawsuit lawyers at The Driscoll Firm, P.C., today to learn more about your options for pursuing compensation. Your initial consultation is free, fully confidential, and without obligation.