A series of photos under the title Soviet Pollution.

From the always visible. German photographer Gerd Ludwig has published on its website a series of photographs under the title Soviet Pollution. And let the Soviet Union is long gone, the legacy of the industrial age, we disentangle so far and will be for many years to clear up the mess.

via gerdludwig.com

The Aral Sea, Kazakhstan
In 1930 began large-scale construction of irrigation canals, which led to a sharp depletion of the Aral lake. The increased salinity of the Aral Sea has caused the extinction of many species of flora and fauna. Now, where there were ships that travel the camels.





Baku, Azerbaijan

Baku - one of the most industrialized cities of the former USSR. Industrial oil production turned it into a thriving metropolis. But there is another side to the coin. The huge oil lakes are the reason that the flows of chemicals made the water in all the surrounding bodies of water unfit for consumption.



Sumgait, Azerbaijan

Doctors are fighting for the life of a child suffering from congenital immunodeficiency. An hour after this photo was made, the boy died. The city is booming chemical and metallurgical industries, and waste disposal nearby factories undermines the immunity of local residents.



Semey, Kazakhstan

This 13-year-old boy was the victim of tests at the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site. Despite the fact that the 1991 site was closed, the background region is still reaches 10 000 - 20 000 micro roentgens per hour.



Semey, Kazakhstan

Home furnishings in the medical diagnostic center helps children to better endure the atmosphere of the hospital. Patients at the clinic are suffering from various forms of cancer and other diseases caused by radioactive emissions.



Moscow, Russia

All of these children come from suburbs and all were born without one hand. Scientists suggest that a birth defect caused by the huge concentration of harmful substances in the air of Moscow.



Magnitogorsk, Russia

Produced on the Ural River catch of fishermen Magnitogorsk do not consume, and pass it to the markets. Metallurgical plants as contaminated water, which can easily be poisoned by this fish.



Baku, Azerbaijan

In the fields of Azerbaijan will not soon grow anything edible. They gradually turned into a pool of oil waste. Dead landscapes turned into a playground for dangerous children's games.



Norilsk, Russia

Norilsk is one of the most polluted cities in the world, and according to some ecologists considered an ecological disaster zone. All because of - production of non-ferrous metals.



Donetsk, Ukraine

Constant smoking breaks significantly increase the risk of lung cancer in miners of Donetsk, which are already due to their profession, and poor sanitary conditions hefty dose of inhaled coal dust daily.



Novokuznetsk, Russia

By the number of emissions of solid substances in the atmosphere Novokuznetsk leader among the cities of the former Soviet Union air pollution is caused, first of all, the work of several steel plants, mines and CHP, as well as the exhaust of about 115 thousand. Cars.



Kunda, Estonia

A breath of fresh air after the change of the cement factory. Production of dust workers have to breathe throughout the day.



Source: