Poison In The East

KATOWICE, POLAND - OCTOBER 1: Dangerous gases spew from the industrial smokestacks of Katowice in Poland cloud the region of more than 4 million inhabitants in October 1989. Carbon monoxide often reaches levels 21 times the safe limit. As the Iron Curtain began to fall, evidence arose that the Soviet Union had been covering up the environmental and human consequences of more than 30 years of industrial development. The levels of lead, sulfur dioxide, and other toxins in the air and water of affected countries was up to 200 times higher than in US cities, and left many children with birth defects and respiratory problems. [Date estimated to month] (Suzanne Kreiter/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)