Tori F. - Great Smog in London Caused by Coal Burning by Victoria Freeland

When was it? Any casualties?

81919_1 — 2025-01-14 17:59:51 UTC

The Great Smog in London lasted from December 5th, 1952, to December 9th. This smog lasted about 5 days before it cleared up (yellow-black sulfurous smog). On December 5th, the smog killed over 4,000 people; in the following months, 8,000 more people died, with 100,000 people being most ill with respiratory tract infections. As shown in the map above, there were different layers and thicknesses of the fog around London. The darker areas are the most affected areas which primarily are where the smog started as the lighter areas are only slightly affected when the smog started to spread.

How Did It Effect The People?

81919_1 — 2025-01-14 18:09:12 UTC

The great smog in London affected 104,000 people from people getting very ill or dying. Those who had money bought masks while those who didn't had to suffer with the consequences of breathing the intoxicated air. Possible reactions from the smog included: respiratory illness, pneumonia, bronchitis, cardiovascular disease, neurological disorders, cancer, bad infant health, low birth weight, eye irritation, breathing difficulties, and more. Very young children and elderly people were the majority of people who became ill and were most affected. Before the smog, in 1949, there was a spike in asthma rates due to a past smog event in London and then in 1952 when this smog happened, the kids born with asthma rate went to 20%. Animals were also greatly affected. Lots of cattle were choked to death by the smog in fields.

How Did This Smog Affect The Environment?

81919_1 — 2025-01-14 18:12:10 UTC

The Great Smog had many impacts on the environment. To start, the valley's warm air became trapped under the cold air which caused the ozone layer to damage plants and trees. Plants had slowly formed dead tissue and reductions in growth with some plants due to their inability to absorb carbon. Along with decreasing the ability to see.

What Caused This To Happen?

81919_1 — 2025-01-14 18:33:21 UTC

In 1952, cold air had settled in London the night before the smog had started. This smog had formed due to the cold weather which caused the population to have countless coal in their houses to run the fireplace. When the warm heat came out of the chimney's into the cold, it trapped underneath it. This caused many particles and gases to get polluted into the air also trapped (1,000 tonnes of smoke particles, 2,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide, 140 tonnes of hydrochloric acid, 14 tonnes of fluorine compounds, and 260 tonnes of sulfur dioxide which turned into 800 tonnes of sulphuric acid). This caused humans to intake these particles making them sick.

How Did This Affect The Economic of London?

81919_1 — 2025-01-14 18:34:02 UTC

During this time in London, few businesses closed due to the fog. Those include: Cinemas, theaters, and sports events. Public transportation was closed for days making it difficult to get around if you didn't have your own car. London had lost a lot of agricultural productivity and loss in food supply and quality.

Was The Smog Addressed When It Ended?

81919_1 — 2025-01-14 18:34:39 UTC

The Great Smog of London had finally lifted on December 9th when the wind finally picked up to carry it away after 5 days. Britain had a very anthropocentric way of changing for the better (rules and laws). Great Britain's first act was to put a Clean Air Act in place which didn't happen until 1956. This act was a direct response to this lethal fog. Britain had established smoke-free areas and restricted the burning of coal in domestic fires and industrial furnaces. Overall this act reduced smoke pollution and sulfur dioxide. This improved the protection of families from harmful pollutants that caused asthma and lung disease along with new passenger vehicles became 98%-99% cleaner for tailpipe pollutants. Although all of this sounds great, this act was not equally shared among people. Low-income communities, underserved communities, communties of color, and tribal communites.

Why is This Event Important?

81919_1 — 2025-01-14 18:35:22 UTC

The Great Smog in London was a very important event in history because it shows how quickly pollution can come into affect without caring for it beforehand. In this case, it caused lots of thick fog called smog, making businesses close. Britain had to come up with some type of rule or law to prevent this from happening again since it caused so much trouble around the country. This was also not the first time the smog had affected London which gives Britain rulers even more of a reason to pass a law restricting use of coal in domestic fires and factory furnaces. In this time of passing the law and trying to work through the smog, people had learned the dangers of using this much coal in fires during the winter and how it affects population, environment, and the economics of the UK.

How Did The Smog Change The Way View The Environment? Did They Shift Their Focus To The Environment?

81919_1 — 2025-01-14 18:37:59 UTC

As said previosly, this smog forced Britain to place the Clean Air Act to protect the people and environment. This changed the point of focus towards the environment due to the affects of the smog. London now has greenery and has mostly healed from what happened but the Clean Air Act is still in place.

History of The Smog of London

81919_1 — 2025-01-14 18:43:00 UTC

Great Britain has been greatly affected by mists and fogs, although this one was much more severe. In the early 1700s, (Industrial Revolution) factories were putting gases and other particles into the atmosphere which could be poisonous already. Pollutants in the air can act as catalysts for fog since water clings to tiny particles which creates the polluted fog or smog. These chemicals that mix with the water can create acid-causing irritations for humans. Smog is identified very easily due to its thickness, bad smell, and dirty-yellow characteristics. The inability to see was great when the fog first happened in December of 1813 from coal tar. In 1873, the death rate around London grew 40% above the normal rate. The East End of London was greatly affected since it had a high population of houses and large factories.

Is This Similar to a Different Event?

81919_1 — 2025-01-15 19:10:53 UTC

The Great Smog event is similar to the weather inversion that a place called Donora experienced. A thick fog with low visibilty caused by soft-coal smoke. In Donora, the smog was in the city for about four days and found it's way into people's houses. 6,000 people had respitory problems with about 20 casulties. This smog problem happened in 1948.

How Many Times Has Smog Happened in London?

81919_1 — 2025-01-16 07:54:57 UTC

London has experienced many different smog events. Although, these events have not been at as high of a heath risk as 1952.

Dates of Smog include:

November 1948 (700-800 deaths), December 1952 (12,000 deaths), January 1956 (1,000 deaths), December 1957 (750 deaths), and January 1959 (over 200 deaths).

All of these smog events happened after World War ll.

Has Pollution Always Been A Problem For London?

81919_1 — 2025-01-16 07:58:15 UTC

London has pretty much always experienced some sort of fog due to their high pollution rates. This rate lowered after the Clean Air Act but they still struggle with high pollution. This risk is especially in The East End due to the many houses and facotries that use coal to run their fires. If the smog hadn't of happened, London would most likely not be where it is today and still experiencing smog issues throughout the country.