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ATMOSPHERIC POLLUTION
During 1959, there were two stations for the measurement of smoke and sulphur
dioxide in the atmosphere by the volumetric method. The sites were respectively
Brentford Baths and a room on the second floor of a building adjacent to the
Town Hall. In addition, two deposit gauges, one at the Metropolitan Water Board
Works, Kew Bridge, and the other in Chiswick House Grounds, were used for the
measurement of grit deposits from the atmosphere.
Each month reports of recordings and other relevant particulars were submitted
to the Fuel Research Station of the Department of Scientific and Industrial
Research, for comparison with the rest of the country, and assistance was
available from the officers of the Fuel Research Station when special problems
arose concerning readings of results or the breakdown of equipment.
flulletins from the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research were
received regularly and studied in the Public Health Department so that results
could be compared with those in other areas. A brief summary of the year' s
recordings is to be found in tables XII and XIII at the end of the book, and
in graphs "C" and "E" which have been prepared from these figures.
Graph "D" shows the monthly rise and fall in the pollution figures for
Brentford and Chiswick, also Leeds, Central London and Lerwick. These latter
places have been chosen in order to illustrate the varying amounts of pollution
from a virtually smokeless atmosphere, i.e. Lerwick to an industrial area, i.e.
Leeds.
During the year, 123 visits or observations were made in connection with
cases in which it was alleged or suspected that atmospheric pollution might be
taking place. Work was carried out where necessary, and advice on stoking methods
given occasionally.
An interesting observation from the figures for smoke and stilphur dioxide
measured by the volumetric method at the two sites already mentioned is that
consistently, throughout the year, the figures for Chiswick were worse than those
for Brentford. The deposit gauge figures however are variable, and unfortunately,
not complete, but although the Brentford deposit gauge is in direct line windward
of the Brentford Gas Works, yet at the latter end of the year, the Chiswick
findings, from the middle of an open space, are again worse. If there is no
error in these figures, they suggest that pollution is coming across the river
into Chiswick. It will be interesting to note the effect of the operation of
a Smoke Control Area, as the Chiswick deposit gauge (in Chiswick House Grounds)
is within the area of the first one.
Clean Air Act, 1956
During the year under review the Council made an Order establishing a Smoke
Control Area. The area chosen was in Chiswick and comprised of 300 acres and
bounded by Park Road (east side), from the junction of the Cromwell Road Extension
to Burlington Lane and thence from Burlington Lane eastward on the north
side of the Southern Region Railway line to the River Thames boundary thence
northwards to the northern boundary of Edensor Gardens, along the south side of
Corney Road, across Burlington Lane, along the northern perimeter of Chiswick
House Grounds to the junction with the Cromwell Road Extension. The Order was
subsequently confirmed by the Minister of Housing and Local Government and was
due to come into operation on 1st May, 1960.
During the year the Council also submitted to the Minister of Housing and
Local Government its proposals for creating further Smoke Control Areas in the
next five years. These proposals were submitted in accordance with Ministry of
Housing and Local Government Circular 5/5-9.
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