OAKLAND — The city is suing the chemical company Monsanto for allegedly polluting San Francisco Bay.

City Attorney Barbara Parker announced the suit on Tuesday, accusing Monsanto of polluting Oakland’s stormwater with polychlorinated biphenyl, or PCBs, which were banned by the federal government in 1979.

PCBs were routinely incorporated into paints, caulks, electrical equipment and building materials in the 50 years before the ban.

California’s Water Resources Control Board determined that PCBs in Oakland’s stormwater could threaten fish and wildlife in the Bay, the city said.

“The company that is responsible for this vast contamination should bear the burden of cleaning up our environment, not the taxpayers of Oakland and California,” Parker said in a statement.

The county could spend $1 billion to remove PCBs, Parker wrote.

Oakland joins San Jose, Seattle and San Diego as cities that have filed similar suits against Monsanto.

Mike Blasky covers Oakland City Hall. Contact him at 510-208-6429. Follow him at Twitter.com/blasky.