SSAB resumes work at Luleå steel plant site

SSAB will restart construction work this week at its Luleå steel plant site in northern Sweden, the company announced Monday, after no new illness symptoms have been reported among workers.

Work was halted on 29 June when gas monitors detected low levels of hydrogen cyanide. A previous stoppage in April followed reports of bleeding, headaches, and nausea among 34 workers, which SSAB attributed to factory dust, low humidity, and seasonal viruses.

The company states that operations will resume under controlled conditions with continued close monitoring. Extensive sampling at the site has also detected elevated levels of nitrogen oxides and sulfur oxides.

Norrbotten County Administrative Board plans to conduct air quality studies in nearby residential areas, including Svartöstaden, where residents have raised concerns about factory dust.