by Michael Hone
Second Shipment from Same U.S. Company This Week
RECIFE, Brazil – Federal tax authorities on Tuesday seized a shipping container filled with over 20 tons of medical waste at the Port of Suape in Pernambuco. This was the second container seized this week shipped from the same U.S. company.
The containers were packed with catheters, probes, gloves, syringes and even bales of sheets—many stained with blood. The contraband cargo is now being inspected by the National Sanitary Surveillance Agency and the Federal Tax Authorities. The material came from the U.S. Port of Charleston and some of the sheets were marked with the name “Hospital Central Services Cooperative.”
The customs' declaration described the shipment as “defective tissues” to be delivered to a company located in the municipality of Santa Cruz Capibaribe, Pernambuco, known for producing popular clothing. The authorities have not released the name of the importing company in Brazil.
Authorities have not announced the future of the hazardous waste. It could be incinerated with the cost being born by the companies involved or it could be returned to the United States. The importation of solid or hazardous waste is prohibited in Brazil.
In 2009, 40 containers of domestic waste were seized at the Port of Rio Grande and returned to Europe where it originated.
Read also: More Articles from Brazil Dispatch
Brazilian online news source for this article: Folha de Sao Paulo
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