London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Kensington 1959
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kensington Borough]
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c. Readings from the two monthly stations in Kensington have been taken for six years and the following table compares the annual results.
| Year | No. of days exposed | Total weight of depos-ited matter in tons per square mile | Daily average of sulphur in milligrams of sulphur trioxide | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Kensington | South Kensington | North Kensington | South Kensington | ||
| 1954 | 364 | 205.11 | 181.47 | 2.15 | 2.57 |
| 1955 | 367 | 227.73 | 191.70 | 2.32 | 2.77 |
| 1956 | 365 | 207.82 | 191.75 | 2.56 | 2.81 |
| 1957 | 365 | 200.11 | 172.99 | 2.25 | 2.42 |
| 1958 | 365 | 197.09 | 180.84 | 2.36 | 2.69 |
| 1959 | 365 | 151.34 | 131.98 | 2.48 | 3.00 |
D. Measurement of smoke and sulphur by the volumetric method
| 1959 | Volumetric smoke Concentration of smoke in milligrams per 100 cubic metres Average daily values at | Volumetric sulphur Concentration of sulphur in parts per million volumes of air Average daily values at | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Health Department | No Kensington Public Library | South Kensington Welfare Centre | Public Health Department | |
| January | 28.8 | 54.2 | 27.8 | 15.8 |
| February | 19.0 | 53.0 | 34.0 | 17.0 |
| March | 13.0 | 33.0 | 31.0 | 10.9 |
| April | 12.0 | 26.0 | 20.0 | 9.4 |
| May | 10.0 | 21.0 | 14.0 | 6.4 |
| June | 8.5 | 11.0 | 16.0 | 6.0 |
| July | 4.6 | 12.0 | 14.0 | 6.0 |
| August | 8.0 | 16.0 | 14.0 | 6.1 |
| September | 7.0 | 11.0 | 8.0 | 5.3 |
| October | 9.0 | 16.0 | 18.0 | 6.2 |
| November | 13.0 | 23.0 | 23.0 | 10.6 |
| December | 11.0 | 23.0 | 10.0 | 6.2 |
General observations
The figures obtained in 1959 showed a marked decrease in the
total weight of deposited matter in both North and South Kensington,
but the daily average of sulphur content showed a slight increase in
both cases.
It would be unwise to draw any firm conclusions from the
results because, as will be remembered, the summer of 1959 was, from
the general public's point of view, a dry and sunny one compared with
previous years. Further, it is unwise to express opinions on figures
obtained locally in comparatively small areas. The work of the
public health department is a small part of that being undertaken
throughout the country, and all results obtained in Kensington are
forwarded to the Fuel Research Station of the Department of Scientific
and Industrial Research for correlation with results obtained in all
other districts.