Vareš Municipality and the Health Care Center deny unverified claims which, as stated in the press release, have appeared in the media regarding reports of lead exposure in the municipality.
“We call on all parties in the public sphere to adhere to a professional and responsible approach, relying solely on official, verified data and reports from competent authorities,” they said.
They emphasized that this press release contains all currently available and relevant information regarding the implementation of the Action Plan and bio-monitoring in the Vareš Municipality area, and represents the only official form of communication from Vareš Municipality and the Health Care Center on this matter.
“New information and results will be published exclusively through written statements, in the same manner, following professional review and confirmation by competent authorities,” they added.
The remainder of the press release provides an overview of activities undertaken so far in the implementation of the Action Plan, institutional measures, and to-date findings from lead bio-monitoring in Vareš Municipality, based on official documentation from competent authorities and laboratory reports.
“After the change of the project operator, in September 2025, the initiative of the Pržići, Daštansko, and Mir local communities for conducting bio-monitoring was re-initiated. The testing was financially supported by the new operator DPMetals BH, while being fully organized and carried out through the authorized health institutions,” the statement said.
They added that in November 2025, on the initiative of local communities and in coordination with Vareš Municipality, the Health Care Center Vareš organized the collection of 44 blood samples from residents of MZ Pržići for lead analysis, with financial support from DPMetals BH.
The Health Care Center Vareš independently organized the sampling, selected an authorized and certified laboratory, and conducted analyses following the Medicover Diagnostics/IMD Berlin methodology.
“At the beginning of December 2025, the Health Care Center Vareš received the analysis results. In 17 out of 44 individuals, measured lead levels exceeded the laboratory reference value of 28 µg/L, which represents a statistical reference (85th percentile of the population), and not a health threshold,” they emphasized.
Due to the fact that results were reported in µg/L, while international guidelines are often expressed in µg/dL, public interpretation of the data caused confusion.
“After converting the units, the measured values correspond to a range of approximately two to 12 µg/dL. Only three samples exceeded 50 µg/L (5 µg/dL), which, according to public health guidelines, serves as a signal to initiate additional investigations of potential exposure sources, and not as an indicator of acute poisoning. Based on these findings, the Health Care Center Vareš notified the competent health authorities, triggering an official epidemiological assessment and involving the Institute for Health and Food Safety Zenica,” they added.
Following the epidemiological assessment by the Institute for Health and Food Safety Zenica on December 5, 2025, Vareš Municipality formed an Action Team to coordinate further activities.
“Between December 2025 and January 2026, in accordance with the Action Plan, further tests were conducted. Water samples complied with official regulations, with lead levels below the detection limit. Lead was not detected in raw milk samples. Samples of vegetables and processed products were within reference values, except for a pumpkin sample from one location, for which additional steps are being taken following the recommendations of competent authorities. Analyses of household dust samples, as well as air and dust quality measurements and laboratory analyses, are ongoing. Some soil sampling has been completed, while the remaining will be carried out according to weather conditions and recommendations from expert institutions,” the statement emphasized.
They clarified that the Action Team consists of Vareš Municipality (coordinator of activities), the Health Care Center Vareš, representatives of the Pržići, Daštansko, and Mir local communities, as well as representatives of DPMetals BH, who participate solely in the role of providing financial support for additional analyses. The expert guidelines and the schedule of all testing were defined by the Institute for Health and Food Safety Zenica.
They explained that in January 2026, an expanded and randomized blood testing of the population in the local communities of Vareš Municipality was organized, with financial support from DPMetals BH and the organization carried out by competent health authorities. This approach aims to obtain a more comprehensive picture of the situation in the municipality.
“Upon completion of the processing of all results, the data will be consolidated, mapped, and subjected to expert analysis by specialists in toxicology, internal medicine, and other relevant fields. Following the expert analysis and interpretation, the verified findings will be promptly shared with the public. Vareš Municipality and the Health Care Center Vareš will not provide individual statements, comments, or interpretations outside of official written releases,” stated Vareš Municipality and the Health Care Center Vareš.
