The town developed during the communist regime as part of the industrialization program. In 1957, the superphosphate and sulfuric acid plant, also known as USAS ("Uzina de Superfosfat si Acid Sulfuric", Superphosphate and Sulfuric Acid Factory), whose construction had started in 1954, was opened, paving the road towards the industrialization of the area and demographic growth. However, the factory polluted the Black Sea and Taşaul Lake with toxic dumps. In the 1990s, the pollution was greatly reduced as the factory was modernized.