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

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Twickenham 1952

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Twickenham]

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Any scheme for eliminating the domestic portion of the atmospheric pollution
must therefore obtain the co-operation of householders. Many people have
urged that householders should fit the modern improved types of grate which
bum fuel more completely than the older types; and also should burn in them
nothing but smokeless fuel. If they cannot do this they should use gas or
electric fires. Of course, the essential point is to burn nothing but smokeless
fuel, but it is well known that the supply is far too small to supply all domestic
users throughout the country, to say nothing of the higher cost which most
householders would be unwilling to pay. Even the old-fashioned type of grate
can burn smokeless fuel with comparatively little smoke, but that is not what
the householder wants. With the continuous burning types of grate the
housewife wants the fire to stay on all night so that she does not have to light
it again in the morning. Mr. Easter has pointed out that housewives soon
discover that the best way to keep the fire in all night is to bank it up with
slack and then cut off the draught. The fire goes on smouldering all night,
sending out soot and sulphur dioxide from the chimney, which on a cold and
foggy night will mingle in the atmosphere, contributing its quota of smog. To
bank up with nutty slack, coal dust or even ashes is cheaper than burning
smokeless fuel; it ensures that the fire is still burning in the morning; and serves
the purpose of getting rid of an otherwise unusable accumulation of coal dust,
These are important points to the housewife, as not only can the house be kept
warm at a very low cost, but save much labour in laying fires and chopping
sticks. There can be no doubt that the continuous burning fire has proved
of great domestic value, as the tremendous sales over the past few years—said
to be over two and a quarter million for the country—have shown.
In London it is probable that half a million continuous burning fires
poured their contribution into the fog-laden air all through those critical four
days and nights last December; and at night these stoves would nearly all be
burning coal dust or slack. During the night the combustion rate would be
slow and thick tarry smoke caused by low temperature combustion would be
emitted. Smoke of this type must have made a substantial contribution to the
conditions which obtained during this vital period. The closed boilers for
heating domestic water do not cause much pollution because they will only
burn continuously on smokeless fuels, and any attempt to bank them up with
coal dust or nutty slack puts the fire out.
A Possible Remedy.
Mr. Easter has suggested that whenever the meteorological experts consider
that a fog is imminent, the B.B.C. should be asked to broadcast an appeal
to all housewives to let all domestic fires go out during the night. If possible,
it would be better still if all domestic fires were actually put out when such a
warning was broadcast. It is very likely that the main trouble from continuous
burning fires occurs during the night when the air consumption is reduced to a
minimum to ensure that the fuel burns slowly. In the daytime most people
prefer a bright fire, using more air for combustion and consequently emitting
less fuel. I am sure that many housewives would answer such an appeal, and
even if this is only a partial remedy it would surely result in a reduction of
smoke and no doubt a saving of life.
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