The event referred to as the great smog led to the death of roughly 12,000 people, and the hospitalisation of up to 150,000. The great smog of london, or great smog of 1952, was a severe airpollution event that. In the following weeks, about 8,000 more died from exposure to what has become known as the great smog of 1952. A wintry cold snap had gripped the british capital for weeks, and as londoners awoke, coal fireplaces were stoked in. The great smog of london in december 1952, a thick layer of yellowygreen smog hung over the city of london for five days. Clear skies dawned over london on december 5, 1952. The great smog of london from 5 to 9 december 1952, a dense smog caused by heavy coal combustion covered the city of london.
The true story of a serial killer, the great london smog, and the strangling of a city is a stellar examination of a turbulent time in the citys history. The great smog of london, or great smog of 1952, was a severe airpollution event that affected the british capital of london in early december 1952. The people of london were used to heavy fogs and smoky air but this was much more serious than previous smog events. In 1952, postworld war ii london was battling more than reconstruction, and kate winkler dawsons death in the air. The full text of this article is available as a pdf 659k. I dont remember ever reading about londons great smog of 1952 in history books, though. At least two distinct types of smog are recognized. The great smog of london was a mystery that took 64 years. A thick layer of smog over the city lasted for 5 days and killed thousands. The great smog of 1952 was the worst smog that londons ever seen, says georgina young, senior curator of contemporary istory at the museum of london. Smog covered the area from november 23 to 26, coinciding with that years thanksgiving holiday weekend. Have you ever wondered about the history of air pollution. The mixture of smoke, fog and so2 that affected london so badly after the introduction of coal as a fuel, is chemically reducing mixture, so it is called reducing smog. The great smog was a severe airpollution event that affected the british capital of london from 5th 9th december 1952.
Londontype smog occurs in the regions where 1 emission of the sulfurcontaining compounds is high due to burning of coal to generate heat and energy. The 1966 new york city smog was a major airpollution episode, during which the citys air reached damaging levels of several toxic pollutants. On the week beginning the 5th december 1952 thousands of londoners died in the worst air pollution disaster on record. Great smog of london 1952 science flashcards quizlet. Thus, air pollution was a substantial contributor to overall mortality in. Mystery of london fog that killed 12,000 finally solved. What caused the government to notice the high death rate, which was attributed to the air pollution. It persists for five days, leading to the deaths of at least 4,000 people. Some incidents of deaths associated with sulfurous smog. London like almost every city on the planet has its fair share of pollution problems.
Great smog of london, lethal smog that covered the city of london for five days december 59 in 1952, caused by a combination of industrial pollution and highpressure weather conditions. I dont remember ever reading about london s great smog of 1952 in history books, though. Toxicologic and epidemiologic clues from the characterization of the 1952 london smog fine particulate matter in archival autopsy lung tissues. A cyclist bundles up against the smog in london in april 2014, one of the worst weeks for no2 levels in the city last. This type of smog is still quite common in many urban centers of the world, particularly in china, india, the middle east, and eastern europe. Scientists have figured out the terrifying reason london. Devra davis called the great london smog, as the event became known, modern londons most mas sive civilian disaster.
But when the smog hit, londons journalists were just as baffled about its true nature as the rest of the city. It restricted the burning of domestic fuels in urban areas with the introduction of smokeless zones, but fogs continued to be smoky after the act as residents and operators were given time to convert. The catastrophe, known as the big smoke, was a turning point in efforts to clean up polluted air in cities across the western world. Chernobyldisaster introduction from friday 5 december to tuesday 9 december 1952. There were also reports that a number of cattle had died from the toxic smog. Fogs can be viewed as clouds that are in contact with. Several days prior to the great smog, a cold front had moved in which caused londoners to use their coalburning stoves more often than they had been. In response to the smog of december 1952, the clean air act was introduced in 1956. The most severe air pollution ever occurred was due to sulphurous smong caused in london on december,5, 1952 hence the name london smog was assigned.
It was over fifty years ago that a deadly smog enveloped the small town, and gave birth to the modern movement to protect the environment. The struggle for air quality in london since the great smog of december 1952. After more than 60 years, scientists have an explanation for the lethal great smog, which blanketed london in december 1952. It was the third major smog in new york city, following events of similar scale in 1953 and 1963. Results of the smog eventually the smog seeped indoors forcing events such as concerts to be cancelled the tube was the only form of public transportation that remained running after 45 days the anticyclone stopped and the smog was able to disperse with the help of the wind london returned to its normal state and everyday life resumed. The thick yellowblack smog was held over london for more than four days due to the arrival of a highpressure weather system. Smog is grimy, dirty, smelly and foul, it is more dangerous than smoke. London has always been host to dreary mists and fogs, but in the wake of the industrial revolution, they took on a more sinister character.
Smog kills thousands in england heavy smog begins to hover over london, england, on december 4, 1952. So much so that their are rules and regulations on the types of vehicles that can travel within the city. Within 5 days in 1952, london smog killed 4,000 people. When pollutants from the automobiles, factories etc. In the following weeks, approximately 12,000 people died and tens of thousands more fell ill due to the smogs effects on the human respiratory tract. Pollution levels during the london smog were 519 times above current regulatory standards and guidelines and approximate current levels in some rapidly developing regions. While it heavily affected the population of london, causing a huge death toll and inconveniencing millions of people, the people it affected. Clean air in london is a company limited by guarantee, registered in england and wales, with company number 74769 and registered office thames house, mere park, dedmere road, marlow, buckinghamshire, sl7 1pb. It is important not to neglect the more distant past, so there is a chapter on ancient air pollution episodes brimblecombe, 2017b. It is important to recognize that all environmental events occur in some specific context, and this was particularly true of the 1952. Scientists have figured out the terrifying reason london fog killed 12,000 people. It was impossible to see beyond a metre or two, which made driving dangerous or impossible. Lowpressure gradient weather patterns may, depending on the type of immission and the intensity of radiation, cause two different types of smog. The great smog of london, a mixture of smoke and fog, was the result of a series of several unfortunate coincidences.
This would make londons killer smog the greatest air pollution disaster in recorded history. In the decades before the disaster the earliest examples of legislation to control air pollution could not prevent. During the five days in which the smog had covered london, over 4,000 more people had died than usual for that time of year. The londonsmog mostly occurring in the winter months consists of a mixture of gaseous and solid aerosoles as well as of natural fog. A period of cold weather, combined with an anticyclone and windless conditions, collected airborne pollutantsmostly arising from the use of coalto form a thick layer of smog over the city.
Air quality environmental education outreach program. In 1952 london, 12,000 people died from smog heres why. The word was then intended to refer to what was sometimes known as pea soup fog, a familiar and serious problem in london from the 19th century to the mid20th century. A wintry cold snap had gripped the british capital for weeks, and. Have you heard about the london smog disaster of 1952. A look back at the london smog of 1952 and the half century since. Pages in category disasters in london the following 16 pages are in this category, out of 16 total. The researchers said that the main difference between chinas smog and the killer london fog is that chinas haze is made up of. This caused an anticyclone that stopped the polluted air from rising. Londonin december 1952, an acrid yellow smog settled on this city and killed thousands of people. This would make london s killer smog the greatest air pollution disaster in recorded history.
We estimate about 12,000 excess deaths occurred from december 1952 through february 1953 because of acute and persisting effects of the 1952 london smog. The word smog was coined in the early 20th century, and is a contraction portmanteau of the words smoke and fog to refer to smoky fog. The london smog event of 1952 is widely regarded as a major event in the history of air pollution, with implications for subsequent public health research and air quality rules. Thus, smoke was being cranked out of chimneys at a higher rate. How the telegraph covered the great london smog of 1952. Smog had become a frequent part of london life, but nothing quite compared to the smokeladen fog that shrouded the capital from friday 5 december to tuesday 9 december 1952. London was still recovering from the devastation of world war ii when another disaster hit. The true story of a serial killer, the great london smog, and the strangling of a city, is also the story of reg christie, who, between 1943 and 1952, killed at least eight people and then buried their bodies under the garden and the floor. Dawsons background in documentaries and journalism makes this. London which is known as london smog or great smog or also famous as peasouper. This combination of smoke and fog brought the city to a near standstill and resulted in thousands of deaths. Great smog of london 1952 triggered the clean air act of 1956, and 10 years later the new york city smog of 1966 lioy and. Day became night, mass transit ground to a halt, criminals roamed the streets, and some 12,000 people died from the poisonous air.