Pollution in the tenements created hazardous conditions, especially for the children. Sickness spread quickly with so many people living in a small space which led to many becoming gravely ill after a year of living within the buildings. It was a breeding ground for small pox, cholera, typhoid, and tuberculosis. The death rate increased from diseases during this period. These families could not afford medicines to take care of their maladies due to small incomes. As the population continues increasing, it caused even more crowding and made conditions more severe. One in every ten infants would die living in the tenements. The people working in the factories had to fight for basic necessities to live.
