Plaintiffs in a Seattle school district have been battling the Monsanto Corporation in court over the alleged harm caused by exposure to PCBs, a class of chemicals that was banned in 1977 due to associations with health risks to humans and wildlife, as well as its allegedly deleterious effects on the environment. PCBs were added to products such as fluorescent ceiling lights because of their fire-retardant properties.

This latest PCB lawsuit pits a former maintenance worker, two former students of Sky Valley Education Center, and a younger sibling of one of the students against Monsanto, which was the only company that manufactured PCBs in the USA for over 40 years. The attorney for the plaintiffs said both students, who attended the school beginning in 2011, should receive at least $12 million in damages because of their exposure to PCBs in light fixtures.

That exposure, the lawsuit alleges, has caused the children to develop depression, anxiety and other health issues.