Drawing on the example of the Kokshan Factory in the Elabuga Uyezd of the Vyatka Governorate, the paper analyses mutual influences of a large chemical factory, environment, and society in the Russian provinces in the 19^th and early 20^th century. Built in 1850, the factory specialized in producing dichromate, acid-proof stoneware, and vitriols, and soon became a leader in the chemical industry worldwide. Its location outside the metropolises facilitated its rapid development due to the availability of cheap labor, proximity to the deposits of necessary minerals, and lack of competitors on the local market. The development of the enterprise, however, was accompanied by the deterioration of environment and health of the workers and local population. The factory was actively polluting the atmosphere with gases and the hydrosphere and soil with solid chemical waste. The morbidity rate among the workers reached 100 %. Due to its isolated location from the big cities and industrial centers, the Kokshan Factory’s sanitary and environmental condition seldom attracted public attention while the relevant authorities’ oversight was but formal…