London’s Killer Fog On December 5, 1952, the residents of London woke up to a chilly, clear morning. However, as the day went on, a fog slowly settled over the city. While fog was hardly uncommon for the damp London environment, as the day went on the fog slowly became thicker and thicker, even taking on a sickly, yellowish hue towards the middle of the day. This fog, so dense that people couldn’t even see their feet on the ground, refused to let up for a full five days in the breezeless city (Klein). Traffic was completely disrupted (excluding the Underground transport), local events and concerts had to be canceled, and people were forced to stay inside for fear of getting lost or suffocated in the thick mist. Not only was the routine of the city disrupted, but the fog had terrible health effects on several of the residents. The smog damaged the health of both the elderly and the very young, and had long lasting effects on the city as a whole. This smog was the Killer Fog of 1952, one of the most deadly environmental …show more content…
During the year 1952, it was a particularly cold winter in Great Britain. An unusual cold had been gripping the capital of Britain for weeks before the fog came, and this meant that the British had been pumping massive amounts of soot into the air as they burned coal to heat their houses up (Klein). This soot accumulated in the air every day during the morning, so when the fog rolled in on December 5, it mixed with the moisture in the air and created an especially thick fog. The fog was so thick and dark due to the amounts of soot that the distance of visibility was recorded as only being one foot in front of someone (Neilson). It also only continued to grow worse as people continued burning more coal in an attempt to get rid of the chill of the fog. All of the pollution in the air finally captured the full attention of the city due to the disastrous effects of the
Many people are unknowingly exposed to air pollution and have no idea. Some common causes of air pollution are automobiles, factories, landfills and toxic materials. Air pollution destroys the environment; it causes climate change because it greatly affects the greenhouse effect and it causes acid rain. Acid rain contaminates water and destroys animal’s homes. Air pollution has many effects on people it causes coughing, elevates your risk of asthma, wheezing, it can cause diseases and birth defects. It’s estimated “that seven million people died prematurely in 2012 from exposure to air pollution and that air pollution can cause cardiovascular diseases. The use of incinerators has caused protest movements from the Chinese citizens because they are becoming aware of the air pollution that is being given off from the burning of their trash and the effects it has on their health. There have been many reports of premature births and stillbirths of pregnant women that live near garbage incinerators”( Professional Safety, 2014, p.
Pollution has been in existence ever since man lit the first fire. It didn’t really pick up as a major issue until 1272. The use of sea-coal was causing extremely dense fog in the streets of London, making it hard to see more than a couple of feet ahead of yourself. King Edward I officially declared that all use of sea-coal should be stopped in order to try to prevent such “pea-soup” fog, but the damage was already done. This was not the only problem for London, because in the 1700s, which was when the First Industrial Revolution occurred, was when things got really bad. The increasing amount of factories using coal as a power source skyrocketed, causing yet another decrease in the air quality of London. The spread of the Industrial Revolution eventually reached the
In the next decades, pollution is said to become one of the major causes for death in many urban cities. Pollution is
Prior to the industrial revolution the levels of toxic chemicals in the air were low. After WWII and the rise in the popularization of cars air pollution spread to many major cities. In the 1940s citizens of LA began complaining about yellow-brown smog, composed of carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, sulfur oxides and nitrogen oxides. Because LA was one of the first cities to experience the impacts of air pollution they were also the first city to raise public concern of car emissions. In 1947 coal and fuel oil was banned from industrial purposes, however smog continued to rise. By investigating the cause of smog even further scientists in LA discovered the main sources of smog were engine exhaust, engine ventilation, the carburetor and the fuel tank. These investigations directly led to the creation of technologies that controlled emissions. Over the next few decades laws were written with the aim of limiting emissions. In 1990 the Clean Air Amendments set strict standards for emissions. This new policy led to more interest in alternatives to the internal combustion engine such as electric powered vehicles or even
January 12, 1888, a blizzard covered the northwest part of North America that claimed many lives. This blizzard was considered to be the worst blizzard of all time, and was dubbed the “the Schoolchildren’s Blizzard”, for claiming the lives of so many school children on their way home. The death toll of this murderous blizzard rose, because of lack of preparation and being uninformed. During this time, many farmers and families were unprepared to survive a blizzard of this magnitude, by the lack of clothing they wore. Forecasters were not as accurate enough to inform people on the weather conditions. Also, shelter was a major factor in protecting themselves from the winter storms, but the shelter was not stable
" The air was blue with smoke and this plus the tremendous heat from the boilers drew off the oxygen. Everyone suffered from the headaches and men who'd lived outdoors all their lives passed out because they couldn't breathe." (Findley, 58)
As a world’s most populous country, China, is experiencing breakneck growth in the process of industrialization and urbanization, with a roughly rate of 10 percent on GDP each year for the last three decades (World Bank). Now it is choking on something which is not only suffocating the lifeline of this country, but also shrinking those GDP for decades. That is the smog, the other Chinese landmark you can see from space through NASA satellite picture besides the Great Wall. Obviously, smog cannot be ignored anymore, especially in 2013, when smog “blackened Chinese cities with appalling frequency, closed airport and roads, and sent children to hospitals with pollution – filled lungs”(Wong). Smog is also the main contributor
Robert Nickelsberg’s photograph of the Bruce Mansfield chemical plant in Pennsylvania shows pollution that is produced in the air, which conveys a feeling of cautiousness. The accompanying article, written by Richard Harris, explains the dangerous health effects associated with air pollution and the diseases it can cause such as lung and heart disease. However, this article shows us a different perspective on air pollution. In addition, the article...
Air pollution affects both New York’s environment and people. Emissions from industry, power plants, and vehicles are released into the atmosphere, causing smog, photochemical smog, particulate matter, ground level ozone, and acid rain. Air pollutants lead to respiratory problems in humans, and increase the severity in those who already have respiratory system related illnesses. Acid precipitation damages buildings, cars, trees, and crops, which can cause quite a financial burden – this is especially concerning when it comes to preserving New York City’s many historic buildings. Air pollution also contributes towards global warming which causes a change in the Earth’s climate. Drastic actions need to be put in motion in order for the issue
During the winter of 1952-1953, London came face to face with the “heaviest winter smog episode known to men.” (Environmental disasters) During the weeks leading to this even London had been experiencing colder than usual weather. Because of the cold weather, households were burning more coal to keep their families warm. This caused “additional coal combustion and many people travelled only by car, which caused the occurrence of a combination of black soot, sticky particles of tar and gaseous sulphur dioxide.” (Environmental disasters) During this event the numbers of deaths per day increased to a nine times the normal number in some cities. The smog approximately killed 12,000 people. Most of the victims were children and elderly people.
Britain, with its large supplies of coal and developed infrastructure, was a place well prepared to begin industrialization. Textile mills, metalworking, glass, ceramic, and brewing industries released huge amounts of coal soot into London’s air which literally created a black haze over the city (Internet 2). With so much soot in the air blocking out sunlight, London was su...
Air pollution, the contamination of air through pollutants and gases (The American Heritage Stedman’s Medical Dictionary, n.d.) is an issue greatly impacting New Zealand’s citizen’s health and in Christchurch, can account for up to 9.1% of all deaths (Palmer & Mann, 2011). More prevalent in winter, when the mountainous terrain, calm winter weather and the warm air layer allow for the emissions to become trapped in a cold air blanket, locking them in at street level, thus creating a temperature inversion; (University of Waikato, 2009), the recommended exposure to PM10, a pollutant with particles that have a diameter smaller than 10 microns (Ministry for the Environment, 2003) in Christchurch is often surpassed (Palmer and Mann, 2011). Additionally, Palmer and Mann (2011) report that the majority of these particles originate from human activity, such as wood burning stoves, which account for up to 80% of all PM10 particles released (Moller, 2011), hydrocarbon-burning traffic and industrial wastes, which account for the remainder.
Photochemical smog is an environmental problem that develops when primary pollutants interact under the presence of sunlight to produce a mixture of many different and hazardous chemicals known as secondary pollutants. Photochemical smog is formed by the reactions of automobile exhaust in the presence of sunlight. The term “smog” is derived from the words smoke and fog. It is also known as Los Angeles smog.
Many indoor pollutants include carbon monoxide, tobacco smoke, radon gas, animal dander, mercury vapor, consumer products that release chemicals into the air, bacteria, mold and a huge indoor pollutant; lead. Pollution of the air can affect our health in two ways which are categorized as both short term and long term effects. Short term effects are irritation to the eyes, nose and throat. Upper respiratory infections, like bronchitis and pneumonia as well as having headaches, allergic reactions, nausea and aggravating individuals with asthma and emphysema are all short term effects. An example of all these short term symptoms occurred in London in 1952, four thousand people died in a few days due to the high concentrations of pollution. This tragedy was called the "Smog Disaster"(2).
Just after midnight on 3 December 1984, a dense gas cloud formed and rolled through the city of Bhopal and its surrounding villages. The people that inhaled the gas immediately started feeling its affect. They coughed uncontrollably, the gas burning their eyes, noses, and throats. The gas then attacked their central nervous system and, if they were unable to escape the cloud, they fell dead.