Monsanto, PCBs, and The Spokane River

About This Event

Gonzaga University School of Law’s Environmental Law and Land Use Clinic will host a community workshop titled, “Monsanto, PCBs, and The Spokane River” on Thursday September 27^th at 6pm at Gonzaga University School of Law, 721 N. Cincinnati Street in Spokane.

This event is open to the public and features Peter Von Stackelburg, a writer and storyteller involved in the “Poison Papers” project. Von Stackelburg will discuss how the chemical manufacturer, Monsanto continued to produce and sell toxic industrial chemicals known as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) for eight years after learning that they posed hazards to public health and the environment.  PCBs are long-lived man-made organic compounds that were widely banned in 1979 after being linked to health risks in humans and to environmental harm.  The Spokane River is contaminated with PCBs.

The event will also feature Lee First: the Spokane Riverkeeper’s River Toxics Outreach Coordinator, to discuss what PCBs are, their effects on human health, and the extent of PCB contamination in the Spokane River.  Professor Rick Eichstaedt, director of Gonzaga’s Environmental Law and Land Use Clinic will discuss the litigation brought by the City of Spokane, the State of Washington, and others against Monsanto seeking financial contribution for the cost of PCB cleanup in lakes and rivers, including the Spokane River, across the Nation. The lawsuits raise several claims, including product liability for what it described as Monsanto’s failure to warn about the danger of PCBs, negligence, and even trespass, for injuring the natural resources.

The event is free and refreshments will be provided.

For more information about the event feel free to contact Rick Eichstaedt at 509.251.1424 or at eichstaedt@gonzaga.edu.

More information about the Poison Papers Project is available at https://www.poisonpapers.org/