Brazilian state-controlled oil company Petrobras has been ordered to pay 6 million reais ($3.5 million) to people affected by a refinery spill in suburban Rio de Janeiro in 2001...The fine...benefits some 10,000 people who live in a 15-kilometer (9.3-mile) radius around the site of the accident. The spill occurred on June 14, 2001...According to the ruling, the 140 tons of contaminating particles released in the spill will need time to biodegrade and could cause damage to people’s health in the short, medium and long term. The court also found that the spill caused environmental and material harm to the population, which suffered from a reduced water supply...