Shocking: 2000 times the limit value of a carcinogen measured in South Korean factory in Hungary

Workers at South Korean SungEel’s battery processing plants in Hungary have been repeatedly exposed to carcinogenic substances. It has now emerged that airborne concentrations of carcinogenic heavy metals at the battery processing plant in Szigetszentmiklós were always several times the permitted limit in tests carried out between 2019 and 2022.

Carcinogens in huge concentration

Átlátszó investigated the contamination of the South Korean SungEel Hitech Hungary Ltd. After a long search, the portal obtained documents that show an extremely serious situation. The investigative news portal first obtained penalty decisions on the battery-processing company.

Then, because some of the data had been hidden, the paper turned to the National Data Protection and Information Authority. Eventually, the government agency sent the unredacted documents, which showed that airborne concentrations of carcinogenic heavy metals were many times the limit in tests carried out between 2019-2022.

At the plant in Szigetszentmiklós, 18 workers were exposed to increased levels of nickel and cobalt, which the company did not report or investigate. One of the machines had airborne concentrations of nickel 2000 times above the limit value, according to the article, but concentrations of cobalt and manganese were also above the limit.

Death at the plant

Exposure to nickel can cause allergies, cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, pulmonary fibrosis, lung and nasal tumours, and some research has linked it to certain neurodegenerative diseases.

A machine exploded at the SungEel Ltd. factory on 14 March. A worker repairing a grinder died of his injuries the same day, while another worker was fighting for weeks and eventually died on 3 April, Telex writes. A third worker suffered minor injuries. At the end of June, the labour inspectorate fined the company HUF 10 million (EUR 25,830). The emergency services also found serious shortcomings.