The+Great+Smog

Carleigh Zinn's page =The Great Smog=

toc

Overview
The Great Smog or The Big Smoke was a thick fog like cloud that loomed over London, England from December 5th to the 9th in 1952. The fog mixed with black smoke containing large quantities of sulphur dioxide. The smoke came from burning coal in homes & factories, draping the city in a deadly cloud of smog. Other air pollutants such as vehicle exhaust & other industrial or commercial sources. The smog stayed over the city due to anticyclone weather conditions & was fueled by severe air pollutants, mostly from excessive coal burning by the citizens because it was a harsh winter. Oddly enough the smog cleared after 5 days when the wind became to pick up very quickly. This disaster was considered the worst air pollution event in the history of the United Kingdom.

Effects
The city of London, England was shut down for 5 days due to this environmental atrocity. Visibility was lowered to 1 foot; you wouldn’t see your own hands in front of your face. People remained inside their homes for fear of getting lost out in their own yard. All public transportation, other than the London Underground & the ambulance service, were shut down. Indoor & outdoor stage shows or films were shut down because the audience couldn’t see the stage or screen. Outdoor sports games were called off due to the prevailing weather.

Health & Environmental Problems
The smog killed approximately 12,000 people; some were killed in automotive accidents or fell off bridges, while others died solely from the pollution exposure. Most of the people who died had pre-existing respiratory conditions & were of an older age or in infancy. The most common cases of air pollution at the time were lung infections, respiratory tract infections, bronchopneumonia & bronchitis. This event shook the world & brought a strong new form which has now become modern environmentalism. This event in time increased environmental research, government regulations & public awareness so we’d see the consequences our actions make. In 1956 & 1968, Parliament passed 2 Clean Air Acts & people began to stop burning coal in their home & factories were beginning to use alternative fuels to power their factories. Now the government has placed regulations which restrict the use of dirty fuels in industries & the banning of burning coal that produces black smoke. These laws have reduced air pollution in England & across the global, giving our planet a fighting chance.