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
Tottenham 1959
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Tottenham]
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26
CLEAN AIR
Continuing a progressive policy in connection with the Clean Air Act, 1956 the Ministry of
Housing and Local Government addressed a circular to local authorities in January, 1959, on the
question of smoke control areas. Emphasising that about 50% of the smoke in the atmosphere
comes from domestic stoves, the Minister requested local authorities to consider their domestic
smoke problem as a whole. Authorities were asked to submit by 30th June, 1959, a five year
programme for dealing with smoke control areas.
A phased programme for the Borough was submitted to the Health and Housing Committee
and approved by the Council. This provides for conversion and/or adaptation in some 4,000
houses per annum and covers the whole of the Borough.
On the question of including industrial premises in smoke control areas, in July, 1959 the
Minister of Housing and Local Government made an order giving exemption to mechanical stokers
installed on or after 31st December, 1956. This order has been received with some misgivings
since "automatic" exemption takes away from the Council the power to exercise their own
discretion. It is known, for example, that certain mechanical stokers in Tottenham are by no
means smokeless in operation. It is hoped that the National Coal Board will co-operate with
local authorities through their technical and commercial representatives.
| Month | Park Lane | St. Ann's | Tottenham Technical College | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rainfall (ins.) | Insoluble Deposit | Soluble Deposit | Rainfall | Insoluble Deposit | Soluble Deposit | Smoke | Sulphur Dioxide | |||
| Monthly Average | Highest Daily Reading | Monthly Average | Highest Daily Reading | |||||||
| (Tons per square mile) | (ins.) | (Tons pet square mile) | (mg P#r 100 m3) | (mg per 100m3) | (Parts per 100 million) | |||||
| January | 2.09 | 6.09 | 7.27 | 2.15 | 5.86 | 7.14 | 36 | 234 | 8 | 19 |
| February | 0.04 | 4.98 | 3.85 | 0.03 | 6.46 | 4.33 | 26 | 139 | 12 | 48 |
| March | 1.59 | 7.96 | 6.21 | 1.79 | 7.83 | 6.21 | 14 | 35 | 9 | 25 |
| April | 2.03 | 6.40 | 5.25 | 2.05 | 7.24 | 5.78 | 10 | 24 | 6 | 15 |
| May | 1.05 | 6.27 | 3 27 | 0 71 | 6 06 | 2 77 | 6 | 12 | 5 | 13 |
| June | 0.75 | 5 61 | 4.05 | 0 54 | 5 86 | 2 69 | 5 | 10 | 4 | 12 |
| July | 1.11 | 5.77 | 3.22 | 1.17 | 6.16 | 3.10 | 2 | 7 | 3 | 8 |
| August | 0.96 | 5.21 | 1.72 | 2.50 | 3.54 | 9.63 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 5 |
| S eptember | 0.01 | 4.78 | 1 96 | 0.01 | 4.52 | 1.42 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 7.2 |
| October | 1.99 | 8,55 | 6,45 | 1.93 | 8.53 | 6.26 | 10.6 | 24 | 3.7 | 7.6 |
| November | 2.44 | 7.36 | 7.38 | 2.56 | 6.19 | 6.70 | 22 | 56 | 7.0 | 21.8 |
| December | 3.33 | 6.29 | 7.22 | 3.42 | 6.28 | 8.47 | 20 | 41 | 3.2 | 9.4 |
Radiation Hazards
During the year the Council expressed concern particularly at their lack of local knowledge
of the steps taken for the monitoring of food and water for radioactivity and the use in local
industry of radioactive substances and the disposal of trade waste.
In response to an enquiry, the Ministry of Housing and Local Government gave a general
indication of the amount of radioactive material in use in local factories. In a later letter they