Published 2026-06-26 22.48
SSAB is once again pausing the steel mill construction in Luleå until further notice – after hydrogen cyanide was found at the workplace, reports Sweden’s Radio Ekot.
According to SSAB, it is now about low levels of hydrogen cyanide – below the limit value for short-term exposure – and they choose to pause operations as a precautionary measure.
Last spring, the steel manufacturer shut down operations for about two months after over 30 workers fell ill on the construction site since the beginning of the year. The symptoms were, for example, nausea, nosebleeds and headaches.
According to SSAB, the cause of the cases of illness must have been fine-grained dust, the weather and seasonal viruses. At the end of May, it was announced that steel mill construction would resume.
The announcement of the new break comes the day after Dagens Nyheter reported that Norrbotten County Administrative Board does not buy the company’s explanation.
– We are missing a common thread. At the moment, we do not see that it is reasonable to draw this conclusion based on the analysis results presented, said unit manager Sabina Hoppe to the newspaper.
The County Administrative Board is therefore proceeding with its own measurements – for example metal analyzes – in an area that is close to SSAB’s industrial and construction area.
