Document x13e92jwD89NE7D7Va0doRamg

ICoosa River Group ;i js 500-Million Suit fy JERRY SCHWARTZ V. a group of Georgia and r Alabama reslderfta filed a lessly allowed and caused PCB to be released Into a stream that leads directly Into *1600 million suit in federal the Coosa River." eourl Mondav ag*inA*NB Wheif informed by a re 'tlwf t*. andMBM porter'of the $590 miHion ;UCTharglng Ute firms with suit, a stunned General Elec polluting Uie Cooaa River. tric official Mid, "How much The eiats action suit, filed did you say it was?" In U.S. District Court lit William C. Lanham, an Atlanta mi behalf of river Atlanta httorney representing ' property owners, business the river residents, said bis owners and fishermen, clients "represent all aspects charges General Electric with of people, who depend on the poisoning fish In the Coosa river. River by dumping pdychlorl: rated biphenyls (PC0) into .the river. Two weeks ago, Georgia "We have people who own property bn the river and have had, their property values substantially de : state officials ordered fishing creased. We have people who halted in Uie Coosa River be* own buslnesses-balt shops, cases fish' caught there were marinas and so forth-who ; discovered to have high levels have had a decrease hi cu* of PCS. (omen. t The suit charges thit Mon* "We have people who treat ante told the chemical to the poverty level end lltdrtlly Geooral Etodtric, which depend on catching fish hi the dumped somt of the material river Just to eat.? * < Into a tributary of the Coosa ; Since the state banned fish* River. ing, Lanham said, "(ho place General Electric, according la a ghost town all up and to the sirit. "willfully, wen* down the river." The people tonly, negligently or reck who live on or depend on the '^ ^. river "are In some cases /ust frantic," be said. The suit clsims that as many as 1,000 people may have been affected by river Jollutlon. That la why, Lanam said, (he suit asks, $500 million in damages. Lanham Mid that 1m will attempt to prove that Mon-' santo did not fully inform General Electric of' FCB's dangerous properties. , General Electric has a plant near Rome that manu factures electric transform ers. PCB is used in the proc ess. Although General Electric officials concede they are probably tbe only current users m PCB on the Odom River, they aren't ready takp responsibility for-any fish contamination. J W.R. Buchanan, manager of employe and commmnntty relations, saW PCB was used In many products until 1972, when Monsanto stopped sell ing PCB to anyone except , those using it In a doted ays- l tern. ' iTHF. AMNIA CflWriliimv ATLANTA, GA. 0. ,i.yu [SEP. 21 1976 4^ GEORGIA . ttw MIUWAMithi'-A poop ot Georgia and Alabama rotMetita (Ilea a |MO million nil again* General Electric Co. and MopHnto Co., charging them with poiidtlng the Coou River. Pap 11-C. HONS 036793