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
Paddington 1954
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Paddington, Metropolitan Borough of]
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| Month | Rainfall in mms. | Insoluble deposits in tons per square mile | Soluble deposits in tons per square mile | S.03 in mgs. per day per 100 square cms. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 22 | 8.93 | 10.61 | 4.38 |
| February | 51 | 1262 | 4.26 | |
| March | 48 | 973 | 2.97 | |
| April | 4 | 6.46 | 4.53 | 2.64 |
| May | 45 | 11.91 | 5.71 | 1.87 |
| June | 6.61 | 11.28 | 1.01 | |
| July | 69 | 6.84 | 13.06 | 0.98 |
| August | 85 | 7.58 | 10.81 | 1.23 |
| September | 38 | 6.07 | 6.38 | 1.05 |
| October | 50 | 7.48 | 9.53 | |
| November | 10.07 | 15.76 | 3.49 | |
| December | 43 | 7.05 | 12.05 | 1.94 |
The apparatus used is in two parts. A deposit gauge by which the bye-products of combustion such as ash and
grit in the atmosphere are measured and a lead peroxide instrument by which the amount of sulphur dioxide is measured.
These instruments give monthly figures which, though useful, do not record the considerable fluctuation in pollution
that occurs from hour to hour and from day to day. It is therefore proposed to instal a smoke recorder in a suitable
position in the Borough. This instrument consists of an electrically operated air pump which continually aspirates
a measured quantity of air through a filter paper. The smoke in the air produces a dark stain on the filter paper. Once
a day or at other intervals as the atmospheric conditions require the filter paper is changed and the "shade value" of
the stain is assessed by comparing it visually with a standard stain gauge. The smoke concentration in the air is
calculated from the shade value of the stain and the quantity of air passed through the filter.
The Council made a grant of £5 5s. 0d. to the National Smoke Abatement Society.
Smoke nuisances were reported from four (2) premises during the year. In two cases no nuisance was found and
in the other two cases the complaint was remedied without statutory action.
| Premises | Number on Register | Number of | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inspections | Written notices | Occupiers prosecuted | ||||||
| (i) Factories in which Sections 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6 are to be enforced by Local Authorities | 76 | (103) | 56 | (76) | 2 | (3) | - | |
| (ii) Factories not included in (i) in which Section 7 is enforced by the Local Authority | 543 | (576) | 607 | (463) | 12 | (22) | - | |
| (ill) Other Premises in which Section 7 is enforced by the Local Authority (excluding out-workers' premises) | 12 | (16) | 7 | (17) | - | - | ||
| TOTAL | 631 | (695) | 670 | 556) | 14 | (25) | - | |