Acrobat Reader 1. Since World War II, these countries have promoted heavy industry, a resource-intensive and highly polluting economic sector. The lack of sufficient environmental regulations and incentives to conserve resources, increase production efficiency, or reduce waste and pollution has greatly exacerbated environmental degradation. Since 1989, the region's economic downturn has led to reductions in both industrial production and pollution. New threats to air quality are emerging as well, such as rising emissions of lead and nitrogen oxides as more people gain access to cars.
Many cars are old and inefficient.
Exposure to even low doses of lead can cause subtle brain damage and learning problems in children. High levels of air pollution have also been linked with acute and chronic illnesses such as asthma and bronchitis, as well as increased mortality. At the same time, urban residents in the region are facing increasing risks from crumbling infrastructure and deteriorating health services. Housing stock in particular has suffered from neglect. In response, many municipalities are implementing broad-based strategies to curb industrial pollution.