Local campaigners, working alongside Greenpeace, have detected the solvent N‑methyl‑2‑pyrrolidone (NMP), classified as harmful to foetal development, in a reservoir within the Komárom industrial park, the environmental organisation said in a statement to MTI on Wednesday.
Harmful solvent used in battery manufacturing detected
According to the group, the civic organisation Ébresztő, Komárom! approached Greenpeace in early June after observing dozens of large fish carcasses floating on the surface of the reservoir and along the reed beds. Residents noted that when the lake reaches capacity, its water is discharged into the Danube. Prompted by the unusual sight, samples were taken on 8 June and subsequently analysed in an accredited laboratory with Greenpeace’s assistance, testing for a range of substances, the Hungarian news agency wrote.
The analysis identified NMP, a solvent widely used in battery manufacturing, in the samples. Several industrial facilities operate within the park, including a JWH NMP processing plant, the electrolyte factory of Enchem Hungary Ltd, as well as battery plants run by SK On and SK Battery.
Greenpeace talks about regulatory gap
Greenpeace argued that the findings highlight a regulatory gap, noting that no limit value exists for NMP in water, whether surface or groundwater. The organisation stopped short of claiming that NMP caused the fish deaths, stressing that only a comprehensive official investigation could establish this. It added that the presence of other solvents in the catchment area cannot be ruled out, as these were not examined in the current tests.
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The same sampling found that levels of fluoride, organic carbonates, cobalt, lithium and nickel did not exceed prescribed limits. Determining whether the NMP may have entered the environment from one of the battery-related facilities is a matter for the authorities, Greenpeace said, adding that it has reported the case and called on the Komárom-Esztergom County Government Office to investigate.
Gergely Simon, a chemical expert at Greenpeace, said the Komárom measurement underscored the need for continuous regulatory oversight of battery plants. A facility that may not have emitted pollutants months earlier could do so under different circumstances during another inspection, he warned.
Local municipality files complaint regarding Semcorp plant
The municipal council of Debrecen (E Hungary) is filing a criminal complaint against the lithium battery separator plant of Chinese-owned Semcorp for environmental pollution, mayor László Papp said in a post on social media on Wednesday.
The council and Debrecen’s municipal asset manager received information from the environmental protection authority that pollution exceeding the limit value was detected in the groundwater in Semcorp’s base, the mayor said. Papp said the situation was unacceptable and that this is not the first time that Semcorp has been suspected of violating environmental regulations, which is why they are urging the environmental protection authorities to conduct a comprehensive investigation.
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