Four Bosnian environmental agencies have filed criminal charges against a Canadian mining company after hundreds of residents living near the Vareš (a small town in central Bosnia and Herzegovina) silver and zinc mine tested positive for lead poisoning. The mine, operated by the Canadian group, had been promoted as an economic lifeline for the region but has instead sparked a public health crisis among local communities. The charges mark a significant escalation in a controversy that raises broader questions about the environmental oversight of foreign-owned extractive projects in the western Balkans.