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The U.S. government has ordered the immediate withdrawal of all its personnel from Kitwe District on the Copperbelt Province and nearby areas affected by the Sino Metals mine tailings dam spill.
In a health alert posted on its official American Embassy Zambia Facebook on August 6, 2025, the U.S government noted that newly available information reveals the extent of hazardous and carcinogenic substances – including arsenic, cyanide, uranium, and other heavy metals.
The Embassy said this has the immediate and long-term health threats that exposure to the contaminants pose as long as they remain in the environment.
“Beyond contaminated water and soil, contaminants from the spilled mine tailings may also become airborne, posing a health threat if inhaled,” it said.
Additionally, as a result, U.S. personnel have been removed from Chambishi town, all areas along the Chambishi Stream and Mwambashi River to the Mwambashi-Kafue confluence point, and Kitwe town.
It also ordered its personnel to avoid any travel to Kitwe Town that renders them dependent on drinking, or eating food cooked with, municipally available water.
“The U.S. Embassy advises U.S. citizens in the vicinity of the Sino Metals Leach Mine in Chambishi and downstream areas to Kitwe to take precautions against exposure to, and consumption of, heavy metal contaminated water or foods cooked with it,” reads the statement.
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