VARES, Bosnia and Herzegovina, May 6 - A new silver, lead and barite mine offered hope to the small town of Vares, in mountainous central Bosnia, when it opened in 2024. After decades of economic decline, new roads and houses were built, cafes and restaurants filled up, and the long-dwindling population swelled with workers and new residents.

In recent months, however, blood tests have revealed exposure to lead in more than 300 residents living near the mine, some at elevated levels, alarming locals and throwing the town's future into doubt.

On Wednesday, four Bosnian environmental agencies filed criminal charges against Dundee Precious Metals, the Canadian mining company that took over the mine in September when it acquired the previous owner, UK-based Adriatic Metals, with the Zenica-Doboj cantonal prosecutors' office.

"We think that the situation is ripe to declare an emergency situation," Miroslav Pejcinovic, the president of Opstanak (Survival) Vares, one of the agencies, told Reuters. "Somebody needs to take responsibility."

Toronto-listed DPM denies responsibility, but recognises there is a problem.

The company agreed to finance blood tests in December. The residents said they asked for the tests because the mine's previous owner had offered to conduct them, not because there were any signs of harm. Still, the results showed 17 of 44 people who lived close to the mine's processing plant and waste depot had elevated lead levels in their blood.

Subsequent rounds of tests conducted by health institutes in the cities of Zenica and Sarajevo showed that more than 300 people, including some living further away from the mine in Vares, also had lead in their blood.

Elevated lead levels can damage the nervous system and the brain and cause learning difficulties in children. So far, residents and the organisations said that there was no sign yet of harm from the lead exposure, but doctors say any level can be dangerous.

The Vares health centre said in a report in March that the test results did not show signs of acute lead poisoning, but rathe...