Bayer subsidiary Monsanto will pay 160 million dollars to settle a lawsuit filed by the city of Seattle in the USA, according to the authorities.

Monsanto had been accused of polluting the city's sewage system and the Lower Duwamish River with toxic chemicals (PCBs). City Attorney Ann Davison announced the settlement on Thursday, saying it was the largest for a single city related to PCB pollution. A Monsanto statement said it would pay $35 million for a PCB cleanup and $125 million for Seattle's other claims. The company did not admit liability or wrongdoing.

Seattle had accused Monsanto of selling polychlorinated biphenyls for commercial use from 1935 to 1977, even though the company knew they were polluting the environment and harming humans and wildlife. The PCBs had remained in exterior paints and building sealants for years and had caused contaminated rainwater to enter the river. Seattle had already sued Monsanto at the beginning of 2016. The settlement that has now been reached averts a trial before the city's federal court scheduled for September 23.

PCBs were banned by the US government in 1979 and have been linked to cancer and other health problems. Bayer bought Monsanto in 2018 for 63 billion dollars. Bayer is also facing billions of dollars in litigation over whether Monsanto's Roundup weed killer causes cancer.

(Report by Jonathan Stempel, written by Ralf Bode. If you have any questions, please contact our editorial team at frankfurt.newsroom@thomsonreuters.com)