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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 1954
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kensington Borough]
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- 21 -
Observations on the foregoing tables
(a) General observations
Readings at the two stations in Kensington were commenced
in September, 1953, and it is now possible to compare the
figures for the last three months of 1954 with those for the
corresponding period of 1953, as follows:-
Deposit gauge
| Month | Days exposed | North Kensington | South Kensington | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nth. & Sth. Kensington | Total deposits in tons per sq. mile | Total deposits in tons per sq. mile | ||||
| 1953 | 1954 | 1953 | 1954 | 1953 | 1954 | |
| October | 32 | 32 | 20.53 | 15.13 | 21.24 | 11.54 |
| November | 29 | 30 | 13.89 | 21.31 | 10.87 | 20.00 |
| December | 31 | 30 | 16.51 | 18.16 | 16.47 | 14.23 |
The deposit gauge readings show considerable fluctuations
although, in general, the deposit in the summer months was less
than in the winter months. The amount of rainfall appears to
have a bearing on the deposited matter, due mainly to an increase
in soluble deposit. The effect of wind direction and velocity
is a matter receiving attention, and from preliminary observations
it appears that a period ofnortherly winds produces an increase
in deposited matter.
Atmospheric Sulphur Sulphur in milligrams of sulphur trioxide daily
| Month | North Kensington | South Kensington | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953 | 1954 | 1953 | 1954 | |
| October | 2.56 | 1.72 | 3.14 | 2.03 |
| November | 3.23 | 3.22 | 3.36 | 3.61 |
| December | 3.41 | 3.12 | 4.39 | 3.77 |
| Daily average | 3.06 | 2.69 | 3.63 | 3.13 |
These results show that there has been a slight overall
improvement during the last three months of 1954, as compared
with the corresponding period of 1953ยป despite an increase in
the amount of deposited matter at the North Kensington site.
The results, however, must be treated with caution as
variations in wind direction, rainfall and atmospheric
conditions appear to have an effect on the figures.
The estimation of atmospheric sulphur results show a more
regular trend. It will be observed that in both North and
South Kensington the sulphur readings fell from a maximum
in January to a minimum in July, rising again to a high figure
in December.
The variation would seem to be due to the worsening of
atmospheric conditions in winter, which inhibits the escape of
the products of combustion into the upper atmosphere, and also
to the increase in fuel burned for space heating in the colder
weather.