Explore 28 Chemicals Collections - Atlas Obscura
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Buildings of the SVR, Russia's external intelligence agency. What happens in these buildings are Russian state secrets.
Leninskiy rayon, Russia

The Kamera (The Chamber)

The laboratory where the Soviet secret police invented exotic poisons used to kill dissidents in hideous and (mostly) untraceable ways.
<em>The Perfection of the Work</em>, a hand-colored engraving with gilding in Johann Michael Faust's <em>Compendium alchymist[ae] novum sive Pandora</em>, 1706.
secret

How Alchemy Has Been Depicted in Art Through the Ages

Secret symbols aplenty.
Anika Burgess November 18, 2016
poison

Food Testing in 1902 Featured a Bow Tie-Clad 'Poison Squad' Eating Plates of Acid

Why the FDA owes its existence to 12 men eating poisoned meals.
Natalie Zarrelli August 30, 2016
The Civic Center BART station is working on its pee problem.
transportation

San Francisco BART Tackles Urine Problem With Bacteria-Eating Mist

They're spraying it in elevator shafts once per hour.
Cara Giaimo August 24, 2016
Chemical Valley.
Sarnia, Ontario

Chemical Valley

Over 60 chemical plants and oil refineries sit in a 15-mile-wide section outside town.
An official pin for proud members of the Sigma Firefly Scientists Club. (The tail glows in the dark.)
insects

For Decades, the Ultimate Midwestern Summer Job Was Headhunting Fireflies

The good old days of firefly hunting featured branded merch, 10-year-old kingpins, and a certain disregard for ecology.
Cara Giaimo August 3, 2016
film

The Slow Demise of Asbestos, the Carcinogen That Gave 'The Wizard of Oz' Snow

It took awhile.
Ernie Smith August 1, 2016
science

Found: A Gorgeous New Shade of Blue

Just mix manganese oxide with some other chemicals, and bake in a 2,000 degree oven.
Sarah Laskow June 29, 2016
Down the Canal Ahogada.
El Salto, Mexico

The Deadly Rio Lerma

The Rio Lerma (Chignahuapan) in El Salto, Mexico, is one of the most polluted rivers in the world. It’s covered in white foam, and falling in can kill.
Quarry waters dyed black
Buxton, England

Blue Lagoon of Buxton

This beautiful "lagoon" is actually a toxic soup filled with cars, carcasses, and trash. When warnings couldn't stop people from going for a dip, the town dyed it black.