Shares in Brenntag drop on report of sale of dual-use chemicals to Syria

Shares in German chemicals distributor Brenntag dropped 4.4% on Wednesday with traders citing a media report that the company sold substances to Syria that could go into chemical weapons, among other uses. Daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung reported on Tuesday that Brenntag, the world's largest chemicals distributor, sold chemical raw materials to a Syrian pharmaceutical company.

While a potential use of the precursor materials, diethylamine and isopropanol, is in pharmaceuticals they can also be used to make banned nerve agent sarin, the paper said. Brenntag was not immediately available to comment. Sueddeutsche Zeitung quoted the group as saying shipments to Syria were made in compliance with the law.