Upper Silesia is the region of southern Poland where Poland's largest industrial agglomeration connected with coal exploitation and the greatest concentration of metallurgical industry have existed since the 19th century. It is also the most densely populated area in Poland. These old industries cause life conditions that are very difficult, and the degradation of the biophysical environment greatly exceeds acceptable norms. Demographic data in Poland, and especially in this area, are very scarce and often inaccessible, and hence I use only illustrative data and the results of several research studies conducted by demographers and physicians. The clearly negative influence of the biophysical environmental degradation as seen in the increased mortality among children, as well as increased mortality, given as the percentage of people dying of circulatory system and tumorous illnesses, is larger than in other parts of Poland.
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