Brazil Plans To Sue Tobacco Cos. (fwd)

[Robert Weissman <rob@essential.org>]

 December 10, 1998 

 Dow Jones Newswires

 Brazilian Govt Plans To Sue Tobacco
 Companies - Official

 Dow Jones Newswires

 BRASILIA (AP)--The government is planning to sue cigarette
 manufacturers operating in Brazil to recuperate money spent on tobacco
 related illnesses, a health ministry official said Thursday.

 Health Minister Jose Serra met recently with U.S. lawyers to discuss a 40
 billion real (BRR) ($1=BRR1.2020) lawsuit modeled after a similar $206
 billion agreement recently worked out between tobacco and 46 U.S. states.

 "Although there is nothing official yet, the minister intends to sue," said
a health
 ministry official who declined to be identified.

 Serra plans to bring suit in the U.S. because that is where most major
 tobacco companies have their headquarters, the official said.

 Serra is expected to announce details of the plan in the next 10 days.

 It wasn't immeadiately clear if the suit would protect tobacco companies from
 future claims, as is the case with the U.S. accord.

 According to data from Brazil's National Institute of Cancer, the country has
 approximately 31 million smokers, or 33% of the population over age 15. The
 institute estimates that smoking kills 80,000 people each year and is
 responsible for 90% of lung-cancer deaths.