Vintage photos taken by the EPA reveal what American cities looked like before pollution was regulated

• Before President Nixon created the EPA in 1970, water and air pollution weren't federally regulated.
• In the 1970s, the EPA enlisted 100 photographers to document environmental conditions in the US.
• The result was 81,000 photos, often filled with smoke, smog, acid, oil, trash, and sewage.

Don't let the soft, sepia tones fool you — the United States used to be dangerously polluted.

Before President Richard Nixon created the Environmental Protection Agency in 1970, the environment and its well-being was not a federal priority.