RIO DE JANEIRO--A Brazilian judge has fined U.S. pharmaceuticals
firm Eli Lilly and its local subsidiary 1 billion reais ($451.2
million) after blood tests on former factory workers revealed
heavy-metals poisoning, federal labor prosecutors said Friday.
The decision orders the company to pay for medical treatment of
all employees, former employees and contractor workers who served
more than six months at Lilly's plant in Cosmópolis. Judge Antonia
Rita Bonardo also required the firm to cover medical treatment for
the workers" children.
Eli Lilly's Brazilian unit said it would appeal the ruling.
The firm said the Cosmópolis plant, which it operated from
roughly 1970 to 2000, was located in an area where agrochemicals
were also produced. When it discovered an increase in the
concentration of "byproducts of the productive process' near its
factory, Eli Lilly voluntarily notified local regulators.
The firm said it didn't identify any heavy metals.
"There are specialist reports attesting that there is no
scientific proof that the substances found may cause the alleged
illnesses, much less cause irreparable damage to ex-employees or
contractors," Eli Lilly said.
Labor prosecutors said that of 80 former Eli Lilly workers who
submitted blood tests, only three didn't show signs of
poisoning.
"I have heavy metals like lead, arsenic, aluminum, titanium and
mercury in my bloodstream," said Elias Soares Vieira, an
ex-employee, in the labor prosecutors' news release. "Because of
that, I developed kidney cancer and had to have my right kidney
removed, lost function of my left one and suffered liver
damage."
Write to Paul Kiernan at paul.kiernan@wsj.com
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