“Because of the advent of the PCB pollution problem, these instructions are no longer adequate… scrap askarel must not be allowed to contaminate a water supply. The material needs to be destroyed by proper incineration at 2,000°F.”

💡 Monsanto’s own 1971 internal memo proves the company knew its earlier advice to dump or bury PCBs near water caused pollution, yet continued profiting from sales for eight more years.

“PCBs are largely non-biodegradable and virtually indestructible, requiring incineration at 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit to be destroyed, and persist in the environment for exceptionally long periods.”

💡 The very properties that made PCBs profitable for Monsanto make them an enduring environmental menace that will threaten public health for generations.

“PCB concentrations in mussel tissue from Convair Lagoon were the highest ever measured in the history of the State Mussel Watch Program.”

💡 San Diego Bay contains record-breaking levels of Monsanto’s poison, demonstrating the severity of contamination the company caused.

“Between 65% and 81% of all fish caught in the Bay are now subject to a do-not-eat advisory for women 45 and under and children.”

💡 Monsanto’s PCBs have made the majority of San Diego Bay fish too dangerous for vulnerable populations to consume, eliminating a food source and cultural practice.

“The EPA stated that animal studies could not identify any level of PCB exposure that did not cause effects on the immune system.”

💡 Scientific evidence shows even minimal PCB exposure causes harm, yet Monsanto sold 1.4 billion pounds knowing there was no safe threshold.

“People who ingest PCB-contaminated fish or come into contact with contaminated sediment may be exposed to PCB mixtures even more toxic than those encountered by workers or initially released into the environment.”

💡 The PCBs bioaccumulating in Bay fish are more carcinogenic than what Monsanto originally sold, creating greater cancer risks for anyone eating contaminated seafood.

“Legal filings allege that Monsanto was aware that PCBs presented health risks and were causing widespread contamination of the environment, yet continued to promote their use and sale.”

💡 This was not an accident or oversight but a deliberate business decision to keep selling a product Monsanto knew was poisoning communities.

“The City of San Diego incurred $15.4 million for the investigation and cleanup of the Shipyard Sediment Site’s South and North Yards, $1,726,598.05 to investigate PCB contamination at multiple Bay sites, and $159,463.97 to clean up City storm drains.”

💡 Public funds that could have supported schools, healthcare, or infrastructure instead went to cleaning up Monsanto’s profitable poison.

“San Diego Bay has been consistently listed as impaired for PCBs under the Clean Water Act since 2006.”

💡 Federal law recognizes San Diego Bay as too polluted to meet water quality standards due to Monsanto’s contamination, a designation that persists nearly two decades later.

“The Regional Water Quality Control Board repeatedly identified elevated levels of PCBs in San Diego Bay sediments and aquatic life, leading the Board to declare parts of the Bay polluted and issue Cleanup and Abatement Orders for various sites.”

💡 State regulators have been forced to issue cleanup order after cleanup order, proving the contamination is widespread, severe, and ongoing.

“The court denied Monsanto’s motion for summary judgment on the Port District’s public nuisance claim, finding sufficient evidence for a reasonable trier of fact to conclude that PCBs have polluted the Bay and caused substantial harm to human health or the public’s use and enjoyment of the Bay.”

💡 Despite Monsanto’s legal challenges, the court found enough evidence of harm to allow the case seeking corporate accountability to proceed to trial.

“The court granted summary judgment to Monsanto against the City of San Diego’s claims, primarily because the City was found unable to definitively prove that its Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System suffered direct physical harm specifically from PCBs as distinct from other pollutants.”

💡 Legal technicalities allowed Monsanto to avoid paying San Diego back even though the City spent millions cleaning up contamination Monsanto caused, showing how the system protects polluters.

“The Surface Water Ambient Monitoring Program concluded in a 2012 report that the Bay suffers from some of the most severe PCB contamination on the California coast.”

💡 Independent scientific monitoring confirms San Diego Bay ranks among the worst PCB contamination sites in the entire state due to Monsanto’s chemicals.

“Monsanto stands as the sole manufacturer of PCBs in the United States from 1935 until their production was banned in 1979. Over this period, the company produced and sold an astounding 1.4 billion pounds of PCBs, accounting for approximately 99% of all PCBs used domestically.”

💡 There is no question about where San Diego Bay’s PCB contamination came from because Monsanto was the only company making this poison in America.

“The knowledge that the waters and marine life are tainted with probable carcinogens breeds fear and diminishes the overall quality of life for residents. The comfortable enjoyment of the Bay is compromised when its use is fraught with health warnings and visible signs of pollution control.”

💡 Monsanto’s contamination robbed San Diego residents of their right to safely enjoy a public waterway that belongs to the community, not the corporation.