Syngenta is facing a lawsuit from Brazil’s Attorney General of the Union’s Office (AGU), which claims health and environmental impacts from an insecticide containing a toxic product found at triple the authorized level.
The AGU said in a statement that it had filed a civil lawsuit in a São Paulo court due to the “production and marketing of adulterated insecticide.”
The Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA) conducted an inspection and found the antibacterial substance Bronopol in concentrations higher than those approved by Brazilian regulators.
"The company produced 4.7 million liters of the products" containing the substance, of which at least 4.4 million were sold, the AGU said.
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The AGU is asking the judge to require Syngenta to develop an environmental integrity plan and publicize existence of the lawsuit on its website. If Syngenta does not provide guarantees of safety and proper disposal, the AGU is asking the court to block the company’s access to credit funding.
According to a Reuters report, Syngenta told the court that there was no risk of environmental damage, presenting "proof of the non-existence of any type of risk or environmental damage." Syngenta didn't immediately respond to a request from Agri-Pulse for comment.
To “ensure future reparation,” IBAMA asked the court to freeze the company's assets "as a way of guaranteeing future compensation for damages" in the amount of about $16 million.
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