Starting from the 1960s, there is a remarkable general decline of TE concentrations. One would be inclined to accredit these reductions to policies and measures undertaken in the GDR to improve air quality. But the government failed to implement any substantial measures up to its demise in 1989, except for a reduction in fly ash of about 16% in the last 9 years . Contrary to this, in 1964, West Germany established its first air pollution control regulation (Technical Instructions on Air Quality Control -TA Luft), ten years later, followed by the Federal Immission Control Act (BImSchG) and the 1 st Federal Immission Protection Ordinance (BImSchV) regulating emissions of firing systems among others. A growing sense for the environment and its necessary protection essentially characterized this time period. These developments coincide nicely with the turning point in TE concentrations in the 1960s and the slightly stronger decrease in the 1970s, suggesting that the patterns in the cores are indicative for the atmospheric burden coming from West Germany instead of that from the GDR. In support of this theory, identifies the Benelux countries and the western part of West Germany as a major emission area in Europe for that time, with emitted amounts of TEs that are approx. 3-26 times higher than those from the GDR. Additionally, the northern half of the former GDR, where the lakes are situated, harbored no greater industry or energy plants which could have served as local sources . According to this, the districts with the highest recorded dust emissions are in the south: Berlin (East), Cottbus, Halle, and Leipzig . And finally, prevailing winds in the territory of the northern GDR are directed to the northeast (i.e. Westerlies), transporting air masses predominantly from the southwest to the lakes . In this way, LRAT of air emissions from the southern GDR are rather directed to, e.g., Poland , than to the lakes in the north of the GDR. experienced the same sharp decline in lake sediment cores from Lake Zurich and ascribed this to environmental protection measures in Switzerland as the major cause as well.