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29
ATMOSPHERIC POLLUTION
Investigation into Atmospheric Pollution has been carried out by
many local authorities throughout the country for a number of years, the
results being collated by the Department of Industrial and Scientific
Research. The success of this work depends on readings being available
for all parts of the country, and in 1950 the Public Health Committee
agreed to a request that the necessary apparatus should be installed in
Stoke Newington. In spite of difficulties of supply, the essential parts of
the apparatus were installed on the roof of the Town Hall so that readings
could be obtained from the first day of January, 1951. The functioning
of the apparatus has been checked regularly throughout the year, and as
a result, a full set of readings are available for 1951.
Information is obtained from two sources, (a) the Deposit Gauge,
and (b) the Lead Peroxide Apparatus. The former collects the grit, ash
and finer particles of carbonaceous matter and liquid tarry matter which
are deposited over a known area, while the latter measures the activity
of sulphurous gases on a specially prepared cylinder; it is these gases
which attack and damage the stonework of buildings and similar surfaces.
In work of this kind, conclusions can only be drawn after considering
results from widely distributed points over long periods; this is done by
the Department of Industrial and Scientific Research. Details of the
results obtained each month in Stoke Newington during 1951 are set out
in the following tables.