Sep. 28, 2009 (United Press International) -- Plaintiffs in seven lawsuits filed against several companies allege industrial work in Sauget, Ill., is responsible for health problems in the area.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch said Monday the civil suits filed in St. Clair County, Ill., accuse companies like Pharmacia, Solutia, Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) and Monsanto (NYSE:MON) AG Products of releasing polychlorinated biphenyls and dioxins at Sauget industrial sites.

The four companies are all corporate cousins of Monsanto.

Cerro Flow Products is also named as a defendant for alleged wastewater mishandling at the company's plant in the Illinois village.

Monsanto spokesman Bob Peirce downplayed the allegations in the suits, saying they are only about money.

The targeted companies have denied any wrongdoing or responsibility for residents' health complications.

Area resident Andrea Brown says her brain aneurysm and lung ailments are directly linked to the industrial efforts in Sauget.

"Look around," Brown, 39, told the Post-Dispatch. "Everyone here looks old. These people are not that old, and they look as old as hell around here."