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It has been estimated that over 8 million tons of atmospheric pollution
are produced each year in this country and a large part of this pollution
comes from the domestic fire.
Impurity in the atmosphere can take the form of solid or liquid
particles which may be so large that they settle rapidly, or so small that
they remain suspended for a very long time. The nature of the impurity
is determined largely by the prevailing type of industry in the neighbourhood.
The products of combustion which give rise to pollution of the
atmosphere may be broadly divided into three categories:—
(1) Ash and Grit. Ash consists of mineral matter from the fuel and
grit consists of particles of combustible material in the form of burnt
or partly burnt fuel. Most particles of ash and grit are large enough
to be deposited fairly rapidly near to their source of origin.
(2) Smoke is the term normally applied to the visible products
of imperfect combustion. It contains a high proportion of carbon
and liquid tarry matter. These particles remain suspended in the air
for a long time and may travel considerable distances before they are
removed. It has been estimated that the average time for which a
smoke particle remains in suspension is one or two days.
(3) Gases, e.g. hydrocarbons, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide,
oxides of sulphur. By far the most important of these is sulphur
dioxide. When fuel is burnt, only a small amount of the sulphur
remains with the ashes, and the rest is released as sulphur dioxide in
the flue gases. Of these a small amount is usually retained in the
flues and the rest is discharged into the atmosphere. Atmospheric
sulphur dioxide is the agent mainly responsible for the corrosion of
metals and the decay of stonework and building materials.
It will thus be seen that the pollution of the atmosphere from the use
of coal and its products is serious. It involves damage to structures,
fabrics and vegetation and is detrimental to health. A smoky grimy
atmosphere cuts out sunlight and deposits dirt.
In order to measure the deposited atmospheric pollution the Borough
Council authorised the setting up of three deposit gauges in the Borough
in February, 1952. These are situated on the roof of the Town Hall,
the roof of the Church of Christ, Wightman Road and the roof of
Mather's factory at the eastern end of Frobisher Road. The gauges
are permanently in postion and the sites were selected in consultation
with the Fuel Research Station, Greenwich.
On the first day of each month, the solid and liquid pollution, including
rain, which falls within the glass collecting bowl of the gauge is collected
and sent for measurement and analysis.
The following table shows the results of the analyses of deposited
matter from February to December, 1952.
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