London is known for its fog, so when a deadly smog hit the city in 1952, few people seemed to take a second look upward until residents began falling ill or een dying of respiratory problems. Eventually 12,000 people would die prematurely due to the phenomenon.
Though the smog was caused in part by the weather, it was turned toxic by manmade air pollution.
For the four days it lasted, the poisonous smog halted events in the city of London. Though the London Underground remained functioning (as it operates underground), public transportation including cars and ambulances stopped functioning. Concerts, movies and sporting events were all stopped abruptly. As witnesses tell it, the dense blanket allowed only a meter of eyesight in front of oneself with which to shuffle.
After the smog dissipated in early December, medical reports began to notice premature deaths and illnesses caused in part by malevolent effects on the respiratory system. Putting two and two together, as doctors are trained to do, it was realized that the natural event had been lethal — killing 4,000 people in the first few weeks after its departure and causes sickness in at least 100,000 more.
Obviously, the residents and government of London were none too happy about the deaths of its citizenry, nor with the environmental implications of the smog. Several coal burning limitations were enacted — the City of London Act of 1954 and the Clean Air Acts of 1956 and 1968. The acts provided incentives for homeowners to use alternatives to coal burning, which did help decrease the amount of air pollution, though not enough to prevent future smog events from taking place.
Exactly 10 years after the first great smog devastated the city, a second one crept in in 1962. Again, the city was shut down for a few days. In the first three, 90 people passed, 235 were admitted to an area hospital and cases of pneumonia as far as Glasgow tripled (or as the English say, 'trebled'). Despite clean air laws, London was still in smog.
Source: http://www.earth-pics.com/gallery/10most/the-smog-that-killed-12-000-?ref=epwebsite
Though the smog was caused in part by the weather, it was turned toxic by manmade air pollution.
Via: dailymail
Twas a cold night on Dec. 5, 1952 when the smog rolled into town. The conditions — frigid temperatures, an anticyclone and little wind — to create a nearly impenetrable smog blanket over London. An anticyclone is the antithesis to a cyclone in which winds circulate around a central region of high atmospheric pressure. It sometimes creates fog as it did on that fateful night.
For the four days it lasted, the poisonous smog halted events in the city of London. Though the London Underground remained functioning (as it operates underground), public transportation including cars and ambulances stopped functioning. Concerts, movies and sporting events were all stopped abruptly. As witnesses tell it, the dense blanket allowed only a meter of eyesight in front of oneself with which to shuffle.
Via: iso50
The smog came and went disappearing after four days of intensity on Dec. 9 due to yet another change in weather. In London, it was remarked upon for its thickness and also for its penetration of indoor areas. To history, it would seem that no one thought much about it after its passing, at least for the time being
Via: iso50
One reason many Londoners were perhaps not fazed by the heavy smog settled on their cold city, was the frequency of other isolated fog events often called "pea soupers." The term equates the density of fog with the consistency of pea soup (apparently a popular English dish?). Caused by sulfur dioxide and the soot particles in air pollution, pea soupers are very similar to the smog that caused 12,000 deaths over the course of many years following the 'Big Smoke.' The difference was really one of degree.
Via: dailymail
Via: skyscrapercity
How does the often green, sometimes yellow-ish poison seep high atmospheric pressures to wreck devastation? The smog that killed so many people after exposure was due in part to air pollution created by humans. Soot particles and sulfur dioxide, a poisonous gas, were released into the atmosphere (active with the creation of anticyclone) by the standard burning of soft coal in homes for heating and manufacturing purposes. The effects were disastrous.
Via: Daily Mail
Though the death count by 1953 was near 8,000, more recent findings have shown that the toll is actually closer to 12,000 in all. Many of the deaths were caused by respiratory tract infections caused by obstruction of airways by present pus from affected lungs. Lung infections, including specific types bronchopneumonia or bronchitis, were also common.
Via: Daily Mail
Via: Daily Mail
Via: scmp
If air pollution and rates of sulfur dioxide levels were high enough to kill 12,000 people 62 years ago, imagine the damage they could do today. Unfortunately, you don't have to imagine. In January of 2013, a similar smog event took place in East China, centered in Shanghai. About 600 million people were affected by the event in some way. Separate that one event, air pollution is still the fourth leading cause of death in China. Catastrophic smog events continue to happen throughout the world.
Source: http://www.earth-pics.com/gallery/10most/the-smog-that-killed-12-000-?ref=epwebsite
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