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THE SKYSCRAPER BRONCHITICS
Mortality from chronic bronchitis is much less in certain Continental countries
than England, andno doubt there are several factors which may explain the difference.
One possible factor is that in Continental cities more people live in very tall
buildings and therefore escape, to some extent, from the dense layer of smoke pollution
that occurs at or near ground level, especially in foggy weather.
An investigation carried out by the Warren Spring Laboratory of the Department
of Scientific and Industrial Research showed that, over a period of one winter month
in a building in Central London, smoke concentrations at the height of some 70 feet
above ground were consistently lower than at a height of about 15 feet; on the
average the concentrations at 70 feet amounted to 85% of ground level concentrations.
It would seem that people in top storey flats are exposed to lower levels of
pollution than those living nearer the ground. Although the percentage differences
found are not large, the Director of the Warren Spring Laboratory considers that
they could make an appreciable difference to actual levels of pollution at different
heights during periods of high pollution.
In one attempt to find out if people who occasionally suffered from bronchitis
derive any benefit when moved from the normal type of dwellinghouse to the higher
levels in 11 storey point blocks an investigation was carried out at Edgware, where
such blocks were erected two years ago. Eleven of the tenants now living at or
above the eighth floor had submitted a medical certificate to say that one or more
members of the family had suffered at some time from "bronchitis"; they were aware
when applying for rehousing that there was a possibility of some degree of preference
being given to them when such a medical certificate was submitted.
The families were visited in November 1959, after most of them had lived for
about two years in their high level homes, and an enquiry was made from either the
patient or a near relative to find out how he or she had fared.
Several of the residents who lived on the eighth floor or higher claimed that
they frequently looked out from their flats in a clear and bright environment down
on to the foggy weather at street level below. People living on the upper floors
said, too, that the wind seemed much stronger.
The general impression was that older men, who often had to walk further to
reach public transport, derived no benefit from the move and might indeed, even be
worse. On the other hand, housewives and children who did not have to face the
problem of longer travel to work and who spent more time in the cleaner atmosphere
claimed to be much better for living in their new environment. Women, unlike the
men, seldom complained that the central heating made the air uncomfortably dry, but
this is possibly due to the fact that they spend more time in the kitchenette where
humidity is higher.
The results could not be conclusive because of the small numbers involved, but
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