Acid Rain Linked to Children’s Loss of Hair in Ukraine

MOSCOW —  A illness that caused 127 children in a Ukrainian town to lose their hair was probably caused by acid rain that carried high doses of thallium, a newspaper reported Thursday.

“Since there are no sources of the discharge of thallium into the environment in Chernovtsy and its environs, a conclusion was drawn that the chemical was introduced to the area by acid rains in July,” the Communist Party daily Pravda said.

Despite the conclusion, authorities are continuing to investigate other possible causes for the illness, it reported.

A criminal investigation has been initiated, Pravda added, indicating that if individuals were found to be responsible for thallium poisoning, they may face criminal charges.

Ten industrial operations have been suspended near Chernovtsy, which is near the Romanian border, Pravda said.

“However despite the measures being taken, it is reported that the number of cases of the illness continues to grow,” the paper said.

The illness was first reported on Wednesday in the weekly Literary Gazette, which said the cause had been traced to thallium, but did not name the source.

The weekly also said most of the afflicted children had been taken to hospitals in major Soviet cities for special attention, and that many of the 37,000 children had been evacuated from the city.

Thallium is a poisonous metallic element that resembles lead and is used chiefly in photoelectric cells, pesticides and anti-knock compounds for gasoline.