The report "Air quality impacts of the Ternium Brasil Santa Cruz steel plant", from August 2024, written by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), organisation based in Finland, points to an alleged "devastating emission of pollutants" by Ternium's Santa Cruz steel plant, located in Rio de Janeiro.

It is alleged that:

• There are 300 lawsuits filed by residents of the Santa Cruz plant area who claim that their health has been damaged by the emission of pollutants by Ternium;
• The pollution would be responsible for environmental degradation and damage to the population's health, including 300 new cases of asthma in children and 1,200 deaths from strokes, respiratory infections, lung cancer and diabetes.

The Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz) stated that Ternium's emissions of pollutants are above those permitted by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Sources also say that Ternium allegedly stopped disclosing the emission levels of the pollutant MP 2.5, an obligation on which the company's operating licence depends.

We invited Ternium to comment on the allegations and their response is available.