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5
Clean Air
The Clean Air Programme has been reviewed and the date by which
the whole of the Borough should be subject to spoke control brought
forward to October, 1965. During the year the clean air film "Window
to the Sky", produced by the Gas Council, was released for general
showing. This film was produced in collaboration with the Fulham
Health Department and many of the scenes were taken in Fulham. with
Health Department staff filling many of the roles.
Water
As an added safeguard for the health of the public, regular
monthly sampling of domestic water from the mains has been introduced.
There is no doubt as to the purity and safety of the water as supplied
by the Metropolitan Water Board but the new arrangement provides early
warning of possible contamination arising from defects in the local
supply pipes. Many of these pipes must now be very old and the
possibility of contamination, although slight, must be borne in mind
and looked for regularly. Details of the findings are given in the
body of the report on page 37.
Close co-operation is maintained with the Medical Officer of the
Metropolitan Water Board, Dr. E. Windle Taylor, to whom copies of all
reports on water samples are sent.
A circular in December 1959 from the Ministry of Housing and Local
Government drew attention to the urgent national need for economy in
the use of water. I am of the opinion that far more use should be
made of shower baths in new dwellings and conversions, as one valuable
way of economising in water usage. A slipper bath uses 30 gallons of
water compared with the two to three gallons used with a shower.
There are corresponding benefits from economy in water heating costs.
Shower baths are also preferable for old people, who often have great
difficulty in entering or leaving slipper baths.
There is also scope for improved methods of plumbing. Hot water
systems are often arranged so that there is a long run of pipe from the
hot water storage system to the tap and millions of gallons of water
must be wasted annually in letting the unwanted cold water in the dead
space of the pipe run to waste before the hot water reaches the tap.
The ideal arrangement is an instant type of water heater at or near the
point of use of the hot water and the development of such an appliance
is called for in the national interest. Such a device would enable
the existing type of water system to be simplified, with considerable
economy in house building and water heating costs.
Food Hygiene
Food hygiene is a subject which has received much attention
nationally over the past years but from the public health point of
view, the results achieved to date are very disappointing.