[Translation prepared by Business & Human Rights Centre]

Increase in the number of people poisoned by lead in Vareš, 6 February 2026

Association of Citizens of Fojnica, concerned about health, said that mass lead poisoning of the population in the municipality of Vareš is turning into one of the most serious health crises recorded in Bosnia and Herzegovina. As they state in the reaction, the new results of testing for the presence of lead in the blood, published during this week for more than 100 residents of Vareš, confirm that the poisoning with this heavy metal is far greater than it was initially assumed.

This time, the presence of lead in the blood was determined not only among residents in the immediate vicinity of the mine dump of the DPM Metali company, in the settlements of Pržići and Daštansko, but also among citizens who live in the very center of Vareš. The latest tests show that a few have extremely high concentrations above the reference value, which require special medical attention...

Of particular concern is the fact that lead was also found in the findings of five children under the age of six...