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
Wanstead and Woodford 1959
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Wanstead and Woodford]
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Average yearly figures for the two stations are given below:—
| 1955 | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average for year 19 | 18 | 17 | 19 | 13 |
| Average for winter months 32 | 29 | 31 | 27.3 | 19 |
| Average for summer months 6 | 7 | 5 | 6.5 | 4.3 |
| Highest daily recording 153 | 112 | 205 | 108 | 108 |
| Sulphur Dioxide | ||||
| Average for year 5.5 | 6 | 6.0 | 7.0 | 6.0 |
| Average for winter months 8 | 9 | 9,3 | 8.6 | 9.9 |
| Average for summer months 3 | 3 | 2.1 | 4.7 | 2.5 |
| Highest daily recording 38 | 40 | 69 | 39.6 | 64.9 |
| Smoke | 1959 | |||
| Average for year | 15 | |||
| Average for winter months | 25 | |||
| Average for summer months | 5 | |||
| Highest daily recording | 120 | |||
| Sulphur Dioxide | ||||
| Average for year | 7.6 | |||
| Average for winter months | 11.0 | |||
| Average for summer months | 2.5 | |||
| Average daily recording | 45.7 | |||
Two periods of fog were recorded, one in January and the other
in February, fortunately both were of fairly short duration. It was,
of course, during the fogs that the highest daily reading occurred.
It will be noticed that the average figures for 1959 have fallen from
previous years. It is felt that this decrease is probably due to the
very fine weather which extended for considerable periods over the
year, and to a lesser degree, the voluntary change to smokeless fuels
as people became more clean air conscious.
I think the figures give further confirmation that the main pollutant
within the Borough is domestic smoke.
22