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16. That the present system of registration should be
continued, and the Minister of Health should be empowered
to require the registration of classes of works not
at present required to be registered.
17. That the Minister of Health should be empowered
to fix standards from time to time after due public inquiry
with regard to noxious vapours in cases where he finds
it desirable; and these standards should have the same
legal force as those which we recommend with regard to
smoke."
The pollution of the atmosphere by smoke in the large
towns of Great Britain may be counted as one of the most
urgent problems in public health. As our population becomes
increasingly urbanised the problem increases in importance.
Respiratory diseases including pulmonary tuberculosis accounted
for more deaths than any other group of diseases in
1914, i.e., 30 per cent. of the total deaths, and that these are
greatly aggravated by the condition of the atmosphere is universally
admitted. Here in London the death rate from these
diseases mounts up during and immediately after a fog, so that
there can be no question of a connection between the two.
The problem is a very complicated one, especially as threefourths
of the smoke is caused by domestic chimneys, and
more than three-fourths of the damage. The reasons for
the latter statement is than in industrial smoke the combustion
being done in high temperature furnaces is more
complete, and there is an absence of tar and acid products,
whereas in domestic smoke which is caused by the combustion
of ordinary coal at a low temperature, there is a very large
proportion of tar and acids, which are the chief causes of
the damage, not only to buildings but to people's lungs. It
is thus evident that the stopping of industrial smoke, though
it will help matters considerably, does not by any means solve
the problem of the pollution of the atmosphere, since it
leaves domestic smoke untouched.