Latinnews Daily - 30 November 2017

*The supreme court (STF) has issued a new ruling banning the production and use of chrysotile asbestos (white asbestos) in the country. The ruling was in response to various complaints filed by local business groups which argued that various local laws banning the use of the material in the country are unconstitutional, as it had been deemed to be safe by a highly controversial 1995 federal law. The 1995 legislation stipulated that chrysotile asbestos, a substance that has been declared as carcinogenic by the World Health Organization, does not present an inherent health risk and allowed its production and controlled use in Brazil. However, in a split decision the STF justices declared that it is the 1995 federal legislation that is unconstitutional, as it goes counter to constitutional provisions on health and environmental protections. The STF ruling looks set to affect Brazilian firm Grupo Eternit, one of the world’s main chrysotile asbestos producers, which employs 2,500 people in Brazil.

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