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The sudden rise and fall in pollution, at the beginning and end
of the fog period, is clearly shown by the graph (Figure III) giving
the daily recordings of smoke and sulphur dioxide from instruments
at County Hall. Few such readings are available from other sites,
but this graph is probably typical of the fluctuation throughout
the affected area. Individual readings during the day show even
greater increases, and at one air-conditioning plant during a period
of four hours, the filters clogged at a rate of 54 times normal.
Records and graphs of atmospheric pollution are frequently
treated as matters of purely academic interest; they have, however,
a very direct bearing on the health of the community. The sudden
increase in atmospheric pollution is echoed in a most startling
manner by a marked increase in weekly deaths in the London
(Administrative County) area, as shown in Figure IV. Compare these
numbers with road casualties, which cause so much concern and receive
constant publicity. In the London (Administrative County) area
the increase in number of deaths during the week ending 13th December
was 1,539—the number of deaths from road accidents in this area
(or the year 1952 totalled 189. Unfortunately, the increased death
rate after the fog period took several weeks to return to normal.
A report of this nature must be confined mainly to matters
affecting public health. The fog, however, also caused great
inconvenience and financial loss, and it is interesting to know that
one expert estimates that the fog must have cost London at least
£10,000,000 in expenses, depreciation and lost time.
This Borough is fortunate in that it has few factory chimneys
which emit much smoke. The same cannot be said about domestic
chimneys. Many tenants are installing modern solid fuel burning
appliances in place of old-fashioned fire-places, and this is also
being done by the Council in many of the older flats. They are,
of course, a standard fitting in new Council houses. In spite of
this, there seems a marked reluctance on the part of householders
to burn coke and other smokeless fuel, for which these modern
appliances are particularly designed, although this would result
in greater efficiency and better " value for money " of the fuel used.
The tall factory chimney pouring out black smoke is noticed
by many, and recognised as a potential danger to health. How many
householders, sitting beside their fires at night, see in the smoke
going up the chimney another prolific source of pollution? The
little stream of smoke from each domestic chimney in a city adds
up to a great volume of pollution, of a type particularly high in
tarry matters. It is the duty of every factory with a chimney to
prevent the emission of smoke; it should also be the duty of every
householder to play his part in cutting down atmospheric pollution
from the domestic chimney.
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