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 1960
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kensington Borough]
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C. Readings taken from the two monthly stations in Kensington have been taken for seven years and the following table compares the annual resultss-
| Year | No. ofdaysexposed | Total weight of dopositedmatter in tonsper square mile | Daily average ofsulphur in milligramsof sulphur trioxide | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NorthKensington | SouthKensington | NorthKensington | SouthKensington | ||
| 1954 | 564 | 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 | 2.69 | |
| 1959 | 365 | 151.34 | 131.98 | 3.00 | |
| 1960 | 367 | 2.15 | 2.52 | ||
D. Measurement of smoke and sulphur by the volumetric method.
| 1960 | Volumetric smoke Concentration of smoke in milligrams per 100 cubic metres | Volumetric sulphur Concentration of sulphur in parts per million volumes of air Average daily values ats- | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average daily values at:- | ||||
| Public Health Department | N. Kensington Public Library | S. Kensington Welfare Centre | Public Health Department | |
| January | 14.0 | 17.0 | 10.0 | 6.3 |
| February | 11.0 | 15.0 | 21.0 | 7.2 |
| March | 8.0 | 19.0 | 25.0 | 7.1 |
| April | 4.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 4.8 |
| May | 4.0 | 8.0 | 10.0 | 5.3 |
| June | 3.0 | 7.0 | 5.0 | 5.1 |
| July | 3.0 | 8.0 | 6.0 | 3.8 |
| August | 4.0 | 9.0 | 7.0 | 4.3 |
| September | 3.0 | 5.0 | 7.0 | 4.2 |
| October | 5.0 | 11.0 | 10.0 | 11.7 |
| November | 5.0 | 13.0 | 7.0 | 8.7 |
| December | 7.0 | 32.0 | 10.0 | 15.2 |
General observations
The figures obtained in i960 again show a marked decrease
in the total weight of deposited matter in both North and South
Kensington; also the daily averages of sulphur showed substantial
decreaseso
Whilst it is too early to assess whether the atmosphere
in Kensington is generally better as a result of the Council's
efforts in promoting smoke control areas, it is certainly gratifying
to see from the above figures that in the last six years the
measurement of deposited matter in tons per square mile has been
reducedj in the case of North Kensington, from 227*73 to 127-67,
and, in the case of South Kensington from 191°70 to 128.92= There
are, of course, other factors to take into consideration and it is
unwise to express opinions on figures obtained locally in
comparatively small areas.