According to SSAB, the issue is low levels of hydrogen cyanide - below the limit value for short-term exposure - and the company has chosen to pause operations as a precautionary measure.
This spring, the steel manufacturer shut down operations for about two months after more than 30 workers fell ill on the construction site earlier this year. Symptoms included nausea, nosebleeds and headaches.
The cause of the illnesses was attributed to fine dust, the weather and seasonal viruses, according to SSAB. At the end of May, it was announced that the steel mill construction would resume.
The announcement of the new break comes the day after Dagens Nyheter reported that the Norrbotten County Administrative Board does not buy the company's explanation.
"We are missing a common thread. Right now, we do not see that it is reasonable to draw this conclusion based on the analysis results presented," unit head Sabina Hoppe told the newspaper.
The County Administrative Board is therefore continuing with its own measurements - for example, metal analyses - in an area close to SSAB's industrial and construction site.
