Companies are responsible for products and equipment containing materials harmful to consumers/workers’ health

The use of certain materials harmful to health in consumer products and that undergo handling by workers subjects companies, in general, to serious legal risks and severe fines, in addition to damage to the image/reputation of such companies.

Materials such as asbestos, cadmium, lead, mercury, among others, are prohibited and/or restricted through various federal norms and standards, as well as other norms issued by several inspection bodies. Even companies that use pipelines containing such substances to transport material are subject to various penalties.

In addition to prohibitive and/or restrictive rules, there are several Supreme Court decisions that have established, for example, the prohibition of the use of asbestos throughout the country, whatever its application. There are also several international conventions, including those related to labor law, which prohibit and/or restrict the use of certain substances in products or even their handling by workers.

Public inspection bodies apply substantial fines to companies that present products and/or materials that do not comply with these rules, among various other penalties.

Demarest’s Consumer Law Team and Public and Regulatory Law Team are available to assist on this issue and mitigate related risks to companies that sell products containing materials harmful to health, including products whose exposure to workers constitutes the responsibility of the companies.