Faisal Shehzad Ahmad

2008-ENV-35

The London Smog Disaster December 1952

The 1952 London smog disaster (also known as the Great Smog or Great Smoke) stands out as one of the worst man-made air pollution disasters the world had ever known given the sheer number of people who died as a result. Even though London was well known for its frequent smog, no one had ever seen smog of such magnitude.

Health effects of the London smog disaster

Ever since the 1952 London smog disaster, there has been numerous studies proving that inhaling high levels of air pollutants endangers your health. Up to 1952, it was widely believed that people became sick or died as a result of the unusually cold weather conditions, rather than the smog being the cause of the problem. The most common health complaint at the time was that the smog left a sulphurous taste in the mouth and it irritated the nasal passages and made the eyes sting. The smog made breathing difficult and caused many healthy people to suffer respiratory problems. The highest recorded polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) concentration during the worst part of the London smog disaster was measured to be 3300ng/m3 (As a comparison, the highest recorded PAH concentration measured from January 1991 to December 1992 is 10.2ng/m3).

Causes of the London smog disaster

According to the 1952 census records, Greater London now had a population of about 8.6 million. A large percentage of the population were trying to keep warm and so needed to burn coal in their domestic grates. This factor is believed to be the main contributor to the 1952 London smog disaster. There was a strong slow moving high pressure system situated over southern England. This guarantees that there would be no wind to blow the smog away from the regions of London that were pumping out air pollutants. The relative humidity rose to almost 100 percent during the night of the 6th December 1952 and remained at high levels until the evening of the 9th December. This moist cold air drained into all parts of low lying London.

Faisal Shehzad Ahmad

2008-ENV-35

There was a build up of toxic substances into the atmosphere through the combustion of coke, oil and coal products due to the large number of factories in operation throughout London. In July 1952, electric trams were replaced by thousands of diesel-powered buses. This was the first time in history that London air was exposed to high levels of diesel emissions. By the third day of the London smog, no one could see to drive since the air pollution made the visibility exceptionally low (particularly in the mornings). Thus, diesel emissions stopped. Even though there was numerous cars on the road in the days leading to the smog disaster, it has been shown that car exhaust fumes made only a minor contribution up until the third day of the 1952 London smog disaster.

Main air pollutants during the London smog disaster

Air pollutant Smoke particles Sulphuric acid (H2SO4) Sulphur dioxide (SO2) Hydrochloric acid (HCl) Fluorine compounds (F) Emission rate (tonnes/day) 1000 800 370 140 14

Total Death Count

For the week ending 13th December 1952, there were approximately 4,000 excess deaths (i.e. the number of deaths exceeding those during the same time period the previous year when there was minimal smog) and an additional 8,000 deaths occurred over the next two and a half months. So there were around 12,000 deaths in total upto the end of March, 1953.