… he is playing politics…
American Ambassador to Zambia, Michael Gonzales’s latest call for American citizens to leave Kitwe, Chambeshi, and some parts of the Copperbelt for fear of contaminated water in the area is a cause for concern to Zambia’s relations with the United States of America.
One may wonder whether the American Ambassador is being proactive in protecting American citizens in Zambia or that he is pushing a political agenda against the Zambian government. 
It would be right to suggest that Ambassador Gonzales is being provocative to the Zambian government over the U.S. Government’s Alert on the Sino Metals Tailings Spill in Zambia.
Why is the advisory being issued today 6 months after incident happened? What is Gonzales trying to push?
To date, Ambassador Gonzales has never commented on a 35-year-old man who died following a fire incident involving a Komatsu RD 70 truck at a named Copper Pit in North Western Province. It is indeed a wonder to reason why the American Ambassador was so quick to call out the Chinese government on the alleged documentary aired by news diggers recently.
It is understood that the American Ambassador is flexing his muscles in the geopolitics, especially fighting the dominance of the far East nation’s influence on the African continent. It is equally understood that Ambassador Gonzales may be seeking some recognition in order to raise his profile.
On the other hand, it is best to appreciate the Zambian government’s level headedness approach towards this high level of provocation.
The government should maintain its maturity and continue attending to issues regarding the Tailing Spill in a sorber manner.
To start with, it is correct that public health and policy specialist Dr. Musonda Kamfwa to question the advisory note which is not built on evidence-based risk characterisation supported by validated models.
Dr. Kamfwa has argued that in the absence of methodology, the advisory call may fuel accusations of political interference or economic bias, given the strategic importance of the mining sector in Zambia and the international competition for mineral resources.
Today, the 6th of August, 2025, the U.S. Embassy in Zambia has issued a health alert advising the immediate withdrawal of all U.S. government personnel from Kitwe and surrounding areas following the alleged environmental contamination from the Sino Metals tailings dam spill in Chambishi.
The advisory note is recalling the U.S. personnel from Chambishi town, all areas along the Chambishi Stream and Mwambashi River to the Mwambashi-Kafue confluence point, and Kitwe town.
The advisory note, cites the presence of hazardous and carcinogenic substances, including arsenic, cyanide, uranium, and other heavy metals, and warned of both immediate and long-term health risks through water, soil, and airborne exposure.
Matters regarding the Sino Metals Tailings Spill are matters that the Zambian government is fully attending to by instituting an independent investigation to evaluate the damage caused to the aquatic life, surrounding ecosystems, and community livelihoods.
Equally, the government intervened by immediately suspending the mining license for Sino Metals as well as that of Sino Metals. The government further undertook efforts to clean up the affected river and surrounding areas impacted by the spill.
On Sunday, 2nd March 2025, and Monday, 3rd March 2025, a ZAF AB-212 helicopter was seen releasing lime over the contaminated plume on the Kafue River. The lime treatment was part of efforts to neutralize the pollutants and reduce the environmental impact of the tailing dam collapse.
While the precautionary nature of such advisories is understandable, the lack of publicly available scientific data, environmental modeling, and human exposure assessment significantly undermines the credibility and utility of the alert, especially for local and regional health planning.
The US Embassy statement is more of political natural than advisory note to its citizens because of the following reasons:
(a) Lack of Quantitative Risk Assessment
The U.S. advisory does not provide dose response assessments such as Hazard Quotient (HQ), Hazard Index (HI), or Incremental Lifetime Cancer Risk (ILCR) values standard metrics used in toxicological risk evaluations.
(b) Absence of Probabilistic Risk Modelling
The advisory omits the use of Monte Carlo simulations, a globally accepted method for handling uncertainties in environmental health risk assessments. Without probabilistic modelling, the advisory’s claims appear deterministic and fail to communicate the likelihood or distribution of health.
(c) Risk of Public Misinformation and Panic
Announcing widespread evacuations and warnings without accompanying scientific data risks generating unnecessary panic, undermining both local health governance and credibility.
(d) Diplomatic and Political Sensitivities
The absence of methodology MAY fuel accusations of political interference or economic bias, given the strategic importance of the mining sector in Zambia and the international competition for mineral resources.
A strong case must be built not just on correlation or caution but on evidence-based risk characterization supported by validated models. Otherwise, the advisory, no matter how well-intentioned, may be dismissed as lacking rigour and doing more harm than good by inducing unnecessary panic without proportional proof.
