London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Chislehurst 1961

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Chislehurst]

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48
Offences remedied
Notices and records 14
Sanitary Accommodation (defective and insufficient) 16
Washing facilities (defective and insufficient) 5
Temperature 2
Closing 5
Sunday trading 12
CLEAN AIR ACT, 1956.
Recording of Atmospheric Pollution.
The Council maintains apparatus for the measurement of
atmospheric pollution at three stations within the district.
Public Health Department, Manor House, Sidcup.
The volumetric apparatus installed here, records the degree of
pollution, from day to day, throughout the year. A pump draws
a sample of air through a filter and the resulting deposit of tarry
matter gives an indication of the amount of soot or smoke present.
The air is also passed through a chemical solution which, when
analysed, shows quantitively the concentration of the irritant gas
sulphur dioxide, another product of combustion.
Both these constituents of pollution are present to a much
greater degree in winter, when domestic coal fires are lit and
increase many-fold during persistent fog.
The early part of 1961 was singularly free from fog and whilst
it was more prevalent during the autumn, the only time when the
atmosphere became heavily polluted was the period immediately
preceding Christmas.
County Primary Roman Catholic School, Lamorbey and Footscray
County Primary School, Riverside Road, Sidcup.
Sulphur dioxide candles are part of the equipment at these
sites. Fresh candles are placed in position each month and the
figures obtained, supplement the information given by the volumetric
apparatus at the Manor House.
The data for 1961 reveals figures consistently lower than in the
previous year. The highest recording was obtained in Lamorbey
for the month of November—2.76 milligrams of SO3 per day, collected
by 100 sq. cms. PbO2 and the lowest at Riverside Road,
which was 0.65 milligrams, in August.
In conjunction with the candles at each of these sites, there are
Deposit Gauges, also read monthly. These gauges detect the fallout
of fine solid particles from the atmosphere. Their principle
function is to record the pollution originating from several cement
works, situated along the Thames Estuary. Recordings from these