Lawyers in BHS contamination case agree to delay demolition

BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) - The demolition of Burlington High school has been delayed as part of a lawsuit over PCB contamination in the shuttered building.

Lawyers for Monsanto and Burlington High School educators have come to an agreement that would prevent BHS from being demolished until at least late February, so the company can conduct its own inspections of the school.

Burlington High School was closed in the fall of 2020 after air testing for a planned renovation uncovered levels of PCBs that exceeded state health department standards. Educators, who believe the chemicals made them sick, filed a lawsuit last October against the multinational company which manufactured the toxic chemical present in many schools built or remodeled prior to 1980. The school district has also filed a lawsuit.

Monsanto’s parent company, Bayer, sought to postpone demolition, saying the school was key evidence in the case.

Demolition of the school was scheduled to begin Monday.

Related Stories:

Judge hears arguments in PCB case that could delay Burlington’s new high school

Monsanto asks judge to delay demolition of Burlington High School

$698M deal to end Monsanto PCB pollution lawsuit in Oregon

Burlington School District sues Monsanto over PCB contamination

Fighting a chemical giant: cases mounting against PCB manufacturer Monsanto

Vt. officials fast-track $2.5M for PCB school testing, remediation

Lessons learned from Vt. school PCB testing valuable in nationwide solution

Copyright 2023 WCAX. All rights reserved.