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
Holborn 1956
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Holborn Borough]
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30
Measurement of Deposited Matter and Sulphur Dioxide
Since 1953 these forms of pollution have been recorded each month by means of
apparatus installed on the roof of the British Museum. The apparatus consists of a
deposit gauge for collecting rainwater and deposited matter, and a lead peroxide instrument
for recording the amount of sulphur dioxide in the atmosphere.
The recordings obtained during 1956 were as follows:—
| Month | Rainfall | Monthly deposit—Tons per sq. mile | Mg. of S03/day collected by 100 sq. cm. of Batch A Pb02 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| inches | pH value | Insoluble matter | Soluble matter | Total solids | ||
| January | 2.35 | 5.6 | 9.83 | 12.96 | 22.79 | 7.11 |
| February | 0.13 | 5.8 | 8.18 | 5.44 | 13.62 | 5.39 |
| March | 0.83 | 5.6 | 13.02 | 17.64 | 30.66 | 6.52 |
| April | 1.10 | 5.6 | 13.28 | 12.62 | 25.90 | 4.59 |
| May | 0.31 | 5.8 | 11.11 | 5.23 | 16.34 | 2.49 |
| June | 2.04 | 5.8 | 5.77 | 7.85 | 13.62 | 1.89 |
| July | 5.09 | 5.6 | 10.47 | 16.50 | 26.97 | 2.59 |
| August | 3.90 | 5.8 | 7.41 | 8.82 | 16.23 | 2.41 |
| September | 1.95 | 5.6 | 10.81 | 10.74 | 21.55 | 3.04 |
| October | 1.96 | 5.9 | 7.82 | 12.68 | 20.50 | 4.56 |
| November | 0.30 | 5.7 | 9.53 | 8.35 | 17.88 | 5.46 |
| December | 1.92 | 6.2 | 12.51 | 13.06 | 25.57 | 6.19 |
| Total | 21.88 | - | 119.74 | 131.89 | 251.63 | 52.24 |
| Monthly Average | 1.82 | 5.75 | 9.98 | 10.99 | 20.97 | 4.35 |
The solid matter expressed in tons falling over the area of Holborn month by month was as follows:—
| Month | insoluble matter | Soluble matter | Total solids |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6.22 | 8.20 | 14.42 |
| February | 5.18 | 3.44 | 8.62 |
| March | 8.24 | 11.16 | 19.40 |
| April | 8.40 | 7.99 | 16.39 |
| May | 7.03 | 3.31 | 10.34 |
| June | 3.65 | 4.97 | 8.62 |
| July | 6.63 | 10.44 | 17.07 |
| August | 4.69 | 5.58 | 10.27 |
| September | 6.84 | 6.79 | 13.63 |
| October | 4.95 | 8.02 | 12.97 |
| November | 6.03 | 5.28 | 11.31 |
| December | 7.92 | 8.26 | 16.18 |