Students, parents in Washington state awarded $62M in suit over toxic chemical exposure

Students and parents in Washington state were awarded $62 million in a lawsuit alleging toxic chemical exposure. 

A 12-person jury in the King County Superior Court awarded the money to eight people against a former company called Monsanto that was absorbed by the German chemical and pharmaceutical company Bayer, K5 reported.

The group of eight plaintiffs, from King and Snohomish counties, included Monroe School District staff, parents and students. They alleged that their exposure to a chemical called polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) at the Sky Valley Education center in Monroe School district led to a host of health issues, including cancer. 

PCBs were commonly used in the construction of old buildings, although they were banned by the EPA more than 40 years ago, according to K5. 

“We continue to believe that the undisputed evidence in this case does not support the conclusions that plaintiffs were exposed to unsafe levels of PCBs at the Sky Valley Education,” Bayer said in a statement after the decision. 

The decision comes after another related lawsuit, which was filed by Washington state in 2016 against the company and resulted in the state settling for $95 million in 2020.

Updated Nov. 13, 1:13 p.m.