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116
The department publicises advice on how to reduce smoke from bonfires
and avoid complaints. The complaints about smoke, grit and smuts
from factory chimneys arose from defects in plant or faulty operation
and the majority were quickly rectified.
Chimney Heights.
Pour plans were submitted for determination of chimney heights
under Section 10 of the Clean Air Act, 1956. In three further cases
advice was given where new chimneys, exempted from the provisions of
Section 10, were being erected.
Smoke and Sulphur Dioxide.
Instruments for measuring the amount of smoke and sulphur dioxide
in the air are maintained at the Guildhall, Tiffin Girls' School, Alpha
Road Public Health Depot and at Maiden Road, New Maiden. The
apparatus operates continuously and at the first three sites readings
are taken five times a week. An 8-port sampling apparatus is in use
at the Maiden Road site which provides daily readings, but needs visiting
only once a week. The results are submitted monthly to the Ministry of
Technology's Warren Spring Laboratory for inclusion in the national
survey of atmospheric pollution.
In co-operation with the Ministry of Technology, two further
instruments are to be installed;, one on the twenty-first floor of Tolworth
Tower, the other in a day nursery nearby. It is proposed to make observations
for a year at these sites in order to compare pollution at ground
level with that at a height of 212 feet.
Annual averages of smoke and sulphur dioxide at the Guildhall
site since 1958 are shown in Fig. 1. The graph marked 'degree days'
indicates average monthly weather conditions, the peaks show cold years
and the troughs warm years.
Figure 2 shows the monthly variations in smoke and sulphur dioxide
concentrations at Alpha Road, Surbiton, and Figure 3 compares the
annual averages of smoke and sulphur dioxide concentrations at all four
sites.
Grit and Duat.
Two deposit gauges for the monthly measurement of grit and dust
fall are located at Canbury Gardens and Tiffin Girls' School, Kingston
upon Thames. Figure 4 shows the average annual deposits at the two
sites for the years 1953 to 1968.