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 1936
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Westminster, City of]
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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.
Table LXXVI.—Atmospheric Pollution—Analyses of Deposited Impurities.
| 1936. | Figures in English Tons per Square Mile. | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Horseferry Road. s.W.I. | Farm Street, W.l. | Finsbury Park. | |||||
| Total Solids. | Sulphur so3. | Daily Average. | Total Solids. | Sulphur. s03. | Daily Average. | Total Solids. | |
| January | 37.31 | 4.20 | 1.20 | 34.17 | 4.26 | 1.10 | 43.61 |
| February | 32.89 | 2.71 | 1.41 | 27.42 | 2.09 | 0.98 | 57.09 |
| March | 35 .67 | 2.89 | 1.15 | 29.57 | 2.29 | 0.95 | 30.04 |
| April | 24.96 | 1.58 | 0.83 | 26.07 | 1.88 | 0.86 | 21.65 |
| May | 20.53 | 1.34 | 0.65 | 21.32 | 1.51 | 0.63 | 18.18 |
| June | 26.76 | 2.72 | 0.89 | 26.69 | 3.01 | 0.86 | 29.35 |
| July | 23.70 | 2.43 | 0.86 | 21.99 | 1.97 | 0.71 | 22.62 |
| August | 17.22 | 1.45 | 0.56 | 10.55 | 0.91 | 0.34 | 12.34 |
| September | 28.04 | 3.20 | 0.93 | 33.72 | 4.89 | 1.14 | 27.87 |
| October | 33.01 | 3.58 | 1.03 | 24.96 | 2.57 | 0.79 | 30.52 |
| November | 46.49 | 7.67 | 1.55 | 38.56 | 5.87 | 1.28 | 42.97 |
| December | 32.37 | 3.27 | 1.04 | 28.23 | 2.57 | 0.91 | 21.24 |
(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 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 1936, together with similar curve3 for days in 1934 and 1935. It
will be seen that there is a peak about 10 a.m. corresponding to the initial
lighting of fires and a secondary peak in the early evening, which
corresponds with the making up of fires in restaurants, hotels, etc.
(3) Estimation of sulphur gas (as sulphur dioxide). The method
employed is that of bubbling a measured volume of air through a solution
which has an affinity for sulphur. The sulphurous impurities retained
in the solution are measured by chemical analysis.
Chart " B " indicates graphically the amount of sulphur gas correlated
with visibility, wind direction and rainfall during 1936. The code used