“Samsung SDI Hungary plant accused of releasing toxic black dust over several years… Company denies claims,” 4 March 2025

On 28 February (local time), Hungarian outlet Telex reported that multiple ventilation shafts at Samsung SDI’s battery plant in Göd, Hungary, had been emitting black dust for years, visibly discolouring the facility’s rooftop. Satellite imagery analysis suggested that the pollution began spreading in the summer of 2020 and had visibly expanded by May 2021, affecting an area of approximately 10 by 10 metres.

…According to Samsung SDI’s 2022 safety report, the vents in question are located in Section 72 of Building 3M, where NCM (nickel-cobalt-manganese) and NCA (nickel-cobalt-aluminium) powders are used to produce battery cathode materials. The report states that these substances are toxic when inhaled, with some classified as carcinogenic.

While the plant’s design requires air filtration systems to prevent external emissions, internal sources reportedly told Telex that large quantities of NCM and NCA powder had been released through the ventilation system.

This is not the first time Samsung SDI’s environmental and occupational safety practices have drawn scrutiny. In March 2022, Hungarian authorities fined the Göd plant 10 million forints (approximately 37 million KRW) after 23 workers were exposed to high concentrations of pollutants, including metals and volatile organic compounds.

In a separate investigation published in early 2024 by local outlet Átlátszó, Hungary’s National Occupational Safety and Health Authority revealed that 133 workers were exposed to hazardous chemicals across seven incidents in 2021 and 2022. A further 44 exposures were reported in 2023, bringing the total number of affected workers to 177—many of whom inhaled substances not permitted under current regulations.

At the time, internal factory measurements showed nickel and cobalt levels exceeding permissible exposure limits by 20 to 30 times, with some areas reporting nickel concentrations 250 times the legal threshold.

Gergely Simon, a chemical expert at Greenpeace, warned that “if NCA and NCM dust has been released outside the plant, it could pose serious health risks to nearby residents,” adding that “even trace amounts of carcinogenic metals can be dangerous.”

Telex stated that it had requested official comment from both Samsung SDI and the relevant government authorities regarding the allegations.

In response, the Pest County Government Office said it had “received no reports concerning black discolouration of the Samsung plant’s roof,” and that it “routinely inspects facilities handling hazardous materials within its jurisdiction and takes action where violations are identified.”

A Samsung SDI spokesperson claimed, “The black dust reported by the media is graphite, a harmless rock material, not a toxic or carcinogenic substance,” and added that the company “strictly adheres to Hungary’s environmental regulations.”

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