View report page

72
£50,000,000 a year in loss of fuel, repairs, losses to property and
materials and in cleaning up the mess".
(f) Increase in laundry costs.
An enquiry made just before the recent war revealed the fact
that the weekly wash at Manchester took one hour longer than at
Harrogate and that the soap and fuel costs averaged per week
more. Since then the position in built-up areas has substantially
deteriorated and the loss in time and money must be correspondingly
greater.
Since the introduction of the Clean Air Act reduction in
atmospheric smoke and grit has been achieved on a substantial
scale by improved methods of combustion in industry and the use
of smokeless fuels domestically. Indeed, at long last, there seems
to be general acceptance in the minds of the public that smoke
control should be exercised over the emission of smoke and grit.
Perhaps this is because improvement resulting from control over
these is tangible and the public can actually see and is aware of
its beneficial effects.
Sulphur dioxide, however, is not so easily reduced for. unlike
smoke, it cannot be eliminated by burning fuel more efficiently
and, of all the air pollutants, this substance is perhaps the most
important medically by reason of its irritating and damaging
effects upon human tissues and vegetation.
Recent estimations by the Warren Spring Laboratory of the
D.S.I.R. put the reduction of smoke from Britain's chimneys at
35% less than ten years ago, but the emission of sulphur dioxide
as 23% higher. In the London area, in particular, the changes
have been more significant; while smoke emission has dropped
by 60% that of sulphur dioxide has risen by 32% and it would
appear that the bulk of this latter increase is from industry and
power stations burning coal and fuel oil. Since most of these
pollutants are discharged from high chimneys, the increase in
the oxides of sulphur has not shown itself at ground level. The
latest figures published by the Laboratory show that although
in controlled areas smoke was down by 30% at ground level, the
fall in sulphur dioxide was only of the order of 4%. Consequently,
we now have the paradoxical position of inhabitants of modern
high flats being exposed to a higher concentration of sulphur
dioxide than those living near the ground. This situation will
inevitably give rise to problems in the housing field, especially
where urban councils are committed to high-density re-housing
in the vicinity of industrial areas, or close to existing power
stations.