Chemical May Have Caused ‘Poisonous Trap’ in Soviet City

Chemical pollution may have turned a Ukrainian city where children’s hair is falling out into a “poisonous trap,” a Soviet newspaper said Wednesday.

Most of the children of Chernovtsy have been evacuated from the city, which is near the Romanian border, and officials said they should not return until the source of the pollution is found, the weekly Literary Gazette reported.

It said that 127 children--from infants to 15-year-olds--are now ill with the disease that affects the hair and nervous system. The disease first surfaced in August.

Last week, officials reported they had isolated the chemical that caused the problem--thallium, an element used in making anti-knock compounds for gasoline, photoelectric cells and other products.

The children who stay are described as nervous. One 5-year-old, Lesi Pospolitak, was constantly putting her hands on her head “so that my hair doesn’t fall out.”