Snapshot: In 2025, over 190 former employees filed a lawsuit against the Lumwana Mining Company before the Lusaka High Court, Zambia. They allege the company was negligent in providing uranium-contaminated drinking water at their workplace and seek compensation for long-term health complications. The company has dismissed the lawsuit “as baseless and speculative”. The case is ongoing.

The Lumwana Mining Company provided workers at its Lumwana copper mine in Zambia with drinking water from the Chimiwungo Crossing Dam between 2012 and 2023. It is alleged that many workers began suffering from serious health complications as early as 2015, supposedly linked to prolonged uranium exposure. They claim that they only became aware that the drinking water contained uranium in excess of authorised limits on 8 November 2023, when a memorandum was supposedly shared with them by mistake. Water testing conducted on 16 November 2023 reportedly identified uranium levels reaching as much as six times the permitted threshold.

In 2025, over 190 former employees filed a lawsuit against Lumwana Mining Company Limited before the Lusaka High Court, Zambia. They seek approximately ZMW 2 billion (approx. USD105 149 000) in compensation for long-term health complications and loss of life of one former worker. The claimants allege that the company acted negligently by supplying drinking water contaminated with uranium levels above the regulatory limit, which they argue caused serious illnesses among employees, including one death.

The company denies the allegations, asserting that the lawsuit lacks legal merit. It maintains that the water supply is subject to routine safety and quality monitoring and that the incident was an isolated occurrence, unrelated to the alleged damage.

The case is ongoing.