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 London 1958
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London, City of ]
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A recent survey undertaken by the Public Health and Scientific Departments of the London
County Council concludes there is little doubt that living in London for a long period increases
the risk of dying from respiratory disease, including bronchitis; furthermore since these diseases
are often suffered over a number of years, morbidity too is associated with the length of
residence. A significant relationship between mortality and the two types of atmospheric
pollution chosen for the survey — sulphur dioxide and smoke — has not been demonstrated, though
smoke looks more dangerous than sulphur dioxide. This does not preclude there being a critical
level of one or both in combination that would be directly associated with increased mortality
or morbidity, but equally there may be other types of pollutants more dangerous than either. It
is suggested that the threshold level above which a smog incident is likely to occur in London
is when the mean level for London attains a daily value of 200 milligrams of black suspended
matter per 100 cubic metres of air and 40 parts of sulphur dioxide per 100 million parts of air,
i.e. four times the customary winter level. In the City of London, in 1958, the average concentration
in the six winter months for smoke was 15 mgs of black suspended matter per 100 cm
of air and for sulphur dioxide 14 parts per 100 million parts of air. If, as is to be anticipated,
measures to diminish the amount of atmospheric pollution reduce the amount of smoke it may be
possible to assess with greater clarity the respective parts played by sulphur dioxide and smoke
which have both so far been present concurrently in the atmosphere in roughly the same proportions
during different episodes of fog.
Table I records the results of the measurement of rainfall and deposited matter; Table II
the volumetric determination of smoke concentrations; and Table III the concentrations of
sulphur dioxide by the volumetric and lead peroxide methods.
| MONTH | Rainfall collected in deposit gauge | DEPOSITS | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Equivalent to | Insoluble | Soluble | Total | |||||||||
| Millimetres | inches of rain | Millimetres | inches of rain | Tons per square mile | ||||||||
| STATIONS (see note below) | ||||||||||||
| A | B | A | B | A | B | A | B | |||||
| — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||
| — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||
| — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||
| — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||
| — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||
| —_ | — | _ | _ | — | ||||||||
| — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||
| — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||
| — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||
| — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||
| — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||
Note: A — Golden Lane. B — Guildhall from 1st June, 1958.
(a) average for 7 months.
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