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4
Report on
VENTILATION OF SEWERS.
(Adopted by the Vestry on April 12th, 1899).
The three Reports published by the London County
Council, shewing the results of investigations conducted
by Mr. J. Parry Laws and Dr. Andrews on the Composition
and Bacteriologv of Sewer Air and Sewage, throw little, if
any, further light on the dangers of sewer air in regard to
the subject of sewer ventilation. It would appear from the
Reports that sewer air is not quite so deadly as some have
hitherto supposed, regarded, that is, from the standpoint
of the germs it contains ; and that, though it is only circumstantial
evidence that points to sewer air and zymotic
disease being causally related, it may be that its danger in
this respect is an indirect one, and due to some highly
poisonous chemical substance (possibly of an alkaloidal
nature) which with the CO2 (carbonic acid) in excess may
produce a profound effect upon the general vitality. No
evidence of this latter content ion is, at present, forthcoming
however, but it would be still unwise to assume that sewer
air is harmless because it may contain but few organisms,
as shewn by bacteriological experiments.
In Lambeth, considering the large number of open sewer
ventilators in the roadways, complaints are comparatively
few, and in only rare instances does any illness arise which
can be fairly attributed in any degree to offensive emanations
arising therefrom. It is presumable, therefore, that
oxidation and dilution of sewer gases rapidly render them
inert, and as a corollary it follows that the freer the