New silver mine offered jobs and investment for small European town. But then hundreds tested positive for lead in their blood

NewsWorldEuropeNew silver mine offered jobs and investment for small European town. But then hundreds tested positive for lead in their bloodElevated lead levels can damage the nervous system and the brain and cause learning difficulties in childrenAmel Emric & Daria Sito-SucicWednesday 06 May 2026 16:44 BSTBookmarkCommentsGo to commentsBookmark popoverRemoved from bookmarksClose popover{"translations":{"comments":"Go to comments","share":"Share","copyLink":"Copy link","bookmark":"Bookmark","removeBookmark":"Remove bookmark"},"showComments":true,"showBookmark":true,"articleId":"b2971674","articleMeta":{"url":"https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/vares-bosnia-silver-mine-lead-blood-b2971674.html","title":"New mine offered hope for town. Then hundreds tested positive for lead"}}open image in gallery{"id":"trigger-autogallery-7406","index":0}A drone view shows a facility of the newly opened silver mine near a residential area, as concern grows in the communities located in the town of Vares, after tests detected lead in the blood of more than 300 nearby residents, fueling fear and uncertainty about the future of the town, in the village of Tisovci near Vares, Bosnia and Herzegovina (Reuters)On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondentsGet a weekly dispatch from our international correspondentsGet a weekly international news dispatchEmail*SIGN UPI would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice{"className":"sc-1ge0fwe-0","newsletterData":{"regSourceNewsletter":"IND_On_The_Ground_Newsletter","regTitle":"On The Ground","subscriptionGroup":"on_the_ground","subscriptionGroupId":"14806361-6435-4d19-b06e-05326605fb01","pathPrefix":["/news/world/europe","/news/world/middle-east","/news/world/australasia","/news/world/africa","/asia"],"associatedAuthors":["Bel Trew","Sam Kiley"],"title":"On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents"...