A lengthy investigation by Hungarian news outlet Telex has detailed how government officials in 2023 were presented with intelligence showing that Samsung SDI’s battery plant in Göd was exposing workers to carcinogenic chemicals at levels hundreds of times above legal limits, and that company management had concealed internal measurements from authorities.
At a cabinet meeting in spring, ministers debated whether to suspend operations at the factory, a move that would have effectively shut down the entire plant,but ultimately decided against closure, granting Samsung until autumn to address the issues instead. The article documents repeated safety violations, fines, and internal company records showing contamination levels as high as 510 times the limit, while tracing how the government balanced economic interests and political risks surrounding Hungary’s battery industry expansion.
Find the full story by Weiler Vilmos, translated by Andrea Horváth Kávai and Spadacene Dominic, on Telex.
