The move is part of BASF plans to invest up to 400 million euros ($462 million) as a first step in building production plants for cathode materials in Europe.
Nutrien’s executive vice-president Michael Webb, described Julio Ponce, the Chilean miner’s top shareholder and former chairman, as a “hypocrite” and urged him to “look beyond himself."
The government has introduced new regulations to ban asbestos and products containing asbestos, but they don't apply to residues left from mining the carcinogenic material.