This paper presents a review of our current understanding of environmentally induced slow crack growth in glasses, single crystals, and polycrystalline ceramics. It is shown that the rate of crack growth is controlled by the chemical activity of the active species in the environment as sell as by the stress intensity at the crack tip. A recently developed molecular model of stress-induced chemical reaction between vitreous silica and water is described. The implicaions of this model for the effects of other chemical species on crack growth are discussed. Finally, the complications introduced by the presence of grain boundaries in polycrystalline ceramics are pointed out. Analysis of glass decay can aid in its conservation.