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83
Approved (cont.)
26 Whittlesey Street
9 Wilkinson Street
TOTAL INSPECTIONS AND REVISITS DURING THE YEAR - 1573
ATMOSPHERIC POLLUTION
There are seven combined smoke and sulphur dioxide atmospheric
Pollution stations in the Borough and details of the measurements of pollution
are given in the following tables.
Two types of pollution are measured, namely smoke and sulphur dioxide.
Smoke pollution of the atmosphere includes all types of suspended matter
collected on the filter paper (these filter papers are changed daily) but
consists largely of smoke from the burning of coal.
Smoke concentration is assessed by means of a Reflectometer and the
results are expressed as milligrammes of smoke per 100 cubic metres.
Sulphur dioxide which is given off in the burning of coal, coke and oil in
varying amounts according to the amount of sulphur in the original fuel, is
measured by a chemical process. The amount of sulphur dioxide is determined
by combining the sulphur dioxide in a known quantity of air with hydrogen
Peroxide to give a dilute solution of sulphuric acid. The concentration of
sulphuric acid is determined by chemical titration and from this figure the
amount of sulphur dioxide can be calculated, the results being expressed as
Parts of sulphur dioxide per hundred million parts of air.
Atmospheric pollution in any given place depends on a number of important
factors, e.g. rainfall, direction and speed of prevailing wind, turbulence, and
seasonal and daily variations, (daily variations may be considerable, but
sometimes variation between night and day is even greater).
There is one distinct advantage in the measurement of these types of
Pollution in that over a period of years changes in the general trend of
Pollution can be observed.