Kunes shows us a young boy recovering from bacterial meningitis. He notes that in northern Bohemia the incidence of bacterial meningitis is about 12 cases per 27,000 children each year. In less polluted southern Bohemia, almost no cases are reported. He regards a premature baby and shrugs his shoulders. Of course, the main cause is pollution.
Most scientists agree that heavy metals can enter the body through food, drinking water, and air.
In Bohemia, Kunes points out, industrial chemicals lay siege to the senses. When airborne sulfur dioxide comes in contact with respiratory mucus, sulfuric acid forms. The acid sears tissue, rupturing mucosa-forming cells and capillaries in the nose, throat, and lungs. The acid then leaches poisonous metals from lodged ash particles into the bloodstream. Kunes explains how the related chemistry of acid rain has decimated Bohemia's pine forests, the most denuded in Europe.