| Monsanto has joined DuPont in being the subject of class-action suits over alleged poisoning of the environment in West Virginia.
Lawsuits have been filed against Monsanto, alleging dioxin, a powerful herbicide ingredient from a former plant at Nitro, contaminated residential properties and streams.
Putnam County Circuit Court Judge O.C. Spaulding certified two lawsuits against Monsanto as class-action cases last week.
Thousands of current and former Nitro residents are included in one case.
A second case includes owners of about 100 properties in the Manila and Heizer Creek areas near Nitro.
Monsanto owned the Nitro plant from 1934 until 2000. It was closed in 2004.
Dioxin has been linked to cancer, birth defects, learning disabilities, endometriosis, infertility and suppressed immune functions. | 
