Human rights lawyers have accused Anglo American South Africa of knowingly and negligently neglecting to implement measures to protect gold miners from serious lung diseases, particularly silicosis and silico-tuberculosis, and have filed massive lawsuits against them. Should these various court cases and mass actions succeed, it could force the gold mining industry to pay billions to ailing miners. The bulk of the miners contracted the diseases between 1970 and 2000 and there is evidence that shows that Anglo American South Africa allowed miners to continue working up to 15 years after they were diagnosed with silicosis…Anglo American South Africa has denied all liability.