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
London County Council 1964
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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Air pollution
The table belows shows for the past seven winters the average levels of pollution based
on the recording stations described in appendix B to my report for 1956.
| Winter | 'Smoke' | 'Sulphur dioxide' | Ratio smoke/SO2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1958-1959 | 309 | 340 | 0.9 |
| 1959-1960 | 206 | 275 | 0.7 |
| 1960-1961 | 200 | 277 | 0.7 |
| 1961-1962 | 182 | 302 | 0.6 |
| 1962-1963 | 173 | 365 | 0.5 |
| 1963-1964 | 153 | 284 | 0.5 |
| 1964-1965 | 133 | 276 | 0.5 |
There has been a consistent downward trend in the smoke index (a trend which began in
1956-57); although exact comparison is not possible because of a change in the method of
measurement in 1961, pollution by smoke is now about one-third of what it was nine years
ago. Pollution from sulphur dioxide does not show any consistent trend.
The weather
The monthly averages of temperature, rainfall and sunshine are given in table V.4,
page 20. This year was characterised by a warmer than average summer; sunshine was
noticeably high in the months July to October but 'sunny June' did not justify its reputation.
Rainfall over the year was below average—the fourth successive year in which this has
occurred.
B
13