Tests of drinking water at Lumwana copper mine find uranium levels exceeding Zambia’s maximum allowable limit
A truck is loaded with rocks at an Equinox copper mine in Lumwana, Zambia. The mine has become increasingly important to the future of its owner Barrick Gold.says it has found uranium in the drinking water of an open section of its Lumwana copper mine in Zambia, forcing it to halt the water supply and switch to other water sources for its workers in the section.
The company says it immediately stopped the supply of water to the work force in the affected area and switched to bottled water. On Feb. 20, the company began taking water from a municipal water treatment plant, allowing the bottled water to be discontinued, according to an internal memo seen by The Globe.
The company said it does not produce uranium at Lumwana in any form. Uranium is a naturally occurring element in the region, it said in the unsigned statement. Barrick spokesperson Kathy du Plessis said it was a “company statement.” Despite Barrick’s assurances about worker health after the uranium contamination, the incident led to a verbal clash between a trade union official and a company manager. The union official, Kelvin Chiwaya, who had worked in the mine for 11 years, said he was fired by the company in January after he accused the manager of misleading the employees. He is now suing the company for wrongful dismissal.
The company has refused to disclose the results of its water tests, aside from the Nov. 8 test, he told The Globe in an interview. “They’re keeping things secret.”
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