The Company has historically protected its exposure to risks related to currency variations and changes in interest rates through cash management and financial operations using currency derivatives available in the domestic and international markets. In the fall of 2008, the Brazilian real suffered a strong devaluation, including in relation to the U.S. dollar. As a result of such devaluation, it had sustained significant losses on such derivative transactions, which losses also resulted from certain activities of the Company's former finance officer. The Company terminated a number of its then existing derivative transactions in order to minimize further losses.