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Johannesburg - South African gold miners suffering from a
lung disease are suing the local subsidiary of Anglo American [JSE:AGL] in
London for potentially hundreds of millions of pounds, lawyers said on
Wednesday.
A group of 450 mainly black former miners for the South African
subsidiary of the London-listed firm claim to have contracted silicosis, during
years of toiling underground. The case was filed at a London high court.
"The miners allege they are suffering from silicosis
and silico-tuberculosis from exposure to dangerous levels of dust on the
company's South African gold mines," London-based law firm Leigh Day &
Co said in a statement.
Cases of the disease - caused by inhaling tiny dust
particles that are a byproduct of mining - date back for decades, involving
claims of excessive dust at mines until 1998, it said.
Signs of the disease can take up to 20 years to develop as
the dust damages lung tissues, preventing oxygen from flowing into the body.
There is no cure for the disease.
The law firm cited as a precedent a lawsuit in which 7 500
South African asbestos miners successfully sued British multinational Cape over
their illnesses.
Lawyer Richard Meeran accused Anglo of disregarding basic
practices in the industry, like dust control measures that have existed for a
century.
"What we allege is the disregard of the industry, in
its drive for profit, for miners' health," he said.
Anglo American is one of the world's largest mining firms with interests in platinum, diamond, iron ore and coal mining.
