US jury orders Monsanto to pay $857m over chemicals in school

A US jury has ordered chemical giant Monsanto to pay $857 million to people exposed to PCBs — a chemical formerly used as a coolant — at a school in Washington state.

The jury found the company — now owned by German firm Bayer — liable for the sale of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) that were used in light fittings at Sky Valley Education Center, ordering it to pay $73 million compensation and $784 million in punitive damages to seven plaintiffs. (BSS/AFP)