West Virginia Jury to Weigh Chemical Plant Testing

A West Virginia jury will have to decide whether the owners of a former chemical plant should pay to test thousands of current and former Nitro residents for disease.

The Charleston Gazette reported that a 2004 class-action suit alleges that Monsanto unsafely dispersed dioxin, exposing residents to unsafe levels of the toxic chemical.

The lawsuit seeks periodic medical monitoring for at least 5,000, and perhaps as many as 80,000, current and former Nitro residents. That’s to see whether exposure to the harmful chemicals caused any one or more of 12 different diseases.

Monsanto’s court filings have indicated that it will argue in court that the residents cannot prove their allegations and the company should not have to pay.

Jury selection is set to begin Tuesday in Putnam County.