Brazilian Judge Fines Eli Lilly $451 Million for Worker Illnesses

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 [e-mail]

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