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
City of Westminster 1934
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Westminster, City of]
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84
Atmospheric Pollution.
Investigations on the state of the atmosphere over the City were carried
out during the year and the results obtained are given below.
(1) The soluble and insoluble impurities deposited from the air, or
washed out of the air by rain are collected in "deposit gauges." These
gauges consist of large glass vessels to which are attached collecting
funnels of known area. The deposited impurities together with the
varying quantity of rain water collected in the vessels are examined by
Mr. McLachlan, one of the public analysts, at the end of each month.
The following table shows the results of the monthly analyses of the
amount of impurities collected in the deposit gauges at Mount Street
Gardens, Mayfair, and at the Coroner's Court, Horseferry Road, together
with the result of analyses of deposits from a similar gauge in Finsbury
Park for comparison.
| 1934. | Figures in English Tons per Square Mile. | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Horseferry Road. | Mount Street. | Finsbury Park. | |||||
(2) The quantitative estimation of suspended impurities in the air is
carried out by means of a colour standard. A measured volume of air
is drawn through a disc of filter paper, rotated at regular intervals during
every 24 hours and the colour of the resultant deposit from the air is
compared with those on a chart of standard tints which represent the
weight of dirt per million cubic yards of air.
Chart "A" shows the amounts of suspended impurities for an average
day of 1934, together with a similar curve for a day in 1933. It will be
seen that there is a peak about 10 a.m. corresponding to the initial lighting