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33
Fumes from Vehicles on the Highway
Many persons have been concerned in recent years with the emission
of black and oily fumes from vehicles on the roads, such emissions being
observed by no means infrequently.
It is nearly always due either to lack of maintenance, defects or
maladjustments in the engine, or to wilful interference by the drivers
of the setting (even when this is sealed to prevent it being tampered
with), in order to allow the vehicles to acquire a quicker rate of
acceleration, especially when going up hill, for it is at such times
when the load on the engine is greatest, and the engine defective, that
the emission is most likely to occur.
These fumes are both filthy and oily, very unpleasant and a
nuisance, and at times even a danger as they may obscure vision. It
is also possible, though admittedly not proven, that they are by nature
cancer producing. Although the nuisance in Finsbury is probably not
as great as in some other areas, as we have no long steep hills in the
Borough, yet because considerable nuisances have been reported, we
asked the Public Health Inspectors in December 1957, to make a note of
the registration number, and when possible the name and address of the
owner of every vehicle seen to be discharging noisome fumes. When the
name of the owner was not known, I was able to obtain this through the
co-operation of the London County Council.
When these reports were presented to me I wrote a friendly letter
to the owner calling his attention to the occurrence and asking for
his co-operation to prevent a continuance of it. i report now the
results of the instances which occurred, during 1958. for the information
of your Committee.