Oil giants fined €279m for toxic exposure at plant

THE Brazilian units of Anglo-Dutch oil giant Shell and Basf SE have been fined a total of 622 million reais (€279 million) after former workers suffered health problems because of contamination at a plant in Paulinia, Sao Paulo state, from the 1970s to 2002.

Basf SA and Shell do Brasil will also have to pay €29,000 in damages to each former worker and any children born during or after their service at the plant, according to a statement from the Paulinia Labour Court. The payments cover medical treatment, exams and individual damages for the toxic exposure.

In the early 1990s an international research agency found that the land and groundwater around the factory were contaminated with pesticides. The substances are known to be carcinogenic and affect the central nervous system.