Three ways Monsanto is connected to Dayton area

Ever visit the Mound campus? It’s nestled essentially at the top of a towering hill off Mound Road, east of the Great Miami River. Most buildings and offices there can’t be reached until after a trek on a long, winding road. Once at the top, it’s easy to see the landscape all around.

The feel at the Mound campus — today known as the Mound Business Park — is one of distinct isolation, and there's a reason for that: The No. 1 mission at Mound for decades was producing components for nuclear weapons, including plutonium triggers or initiators.

Here are three things to know about Monsanto and its local connection.

1. Monsanto and Mound played key roles in the development of the nation’s nuclear arsenal.

During World War II, in 1943, the Army turned to Monsanto for help with the Manhattan Project, the top-secret effort to build an atom bomb.

After working on aspects of the program at several locations in Dayton — in what became known as "the Dayton Project" — Monsanto in time settled into the hillside Mound campus, where the Army built a bombproof — and yes, relatively isolated — production site.

RELATED: Bayer, Monsanto try to create global chemical and ag giant.

2. The Monsanto-U.S. government legacy in Dayton is controversial.

Former workers at Mound and other sites have sought federal health benefits and compensation for what they contend are sicknesses stemming from exposure to radiation.

Soil contamination found at the Mound site has included plutonium, thorium and tritium, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program, started in 2001, has paid more than $11.5 billion for compensation and medical bills to workers at U.S. nuclear energy sites or their survivors.

3. Monsanto today presents itself as a different company.

Monsanto today bills itself as a “sustainable agriculture company” focused on serving farmers. Based in St. Louis, the company has more than 21,000 employees, with 404 facilities in 66 countries. In Ohio, the company has a presence in Greenville and Troy.