THE GREAT

SMOG
OF 1952
LONDON SMOG
INDEX
 WHAT IS
SMOG?
 HISTORY

 CAUSES

 EFFECTS
 HEALTH
EFFECTS
 IMPACT ON
TODAY
 CLEANING
 WHAT IS
SMOG ?
Smoke + Fog =
Smog
 Smog is a kind of air pollution,
originally named for the mixture of
smoke and fog in the air.

When certain gases in the air react

with sunlight it can create a thick
brownish haze called photochemical
smog.

 When the smog level is high it can

Potential threats to humans are
breathing trouble, throat irritation
and burning eyes.

 Major sources of smog are the

gases emitted by vehicles and
other means of transportation.
Images of
Beijing,
China on a
clear sunny
day and then
covered in
Smog
(August
 Los
Angeles

Paris
Smog

2014
 History
 The Great Smog of
1952 or Big Smoke was a
severe air-pollution event
that affected London during
December 1952.

 Lasting for several days,

people claimed you could
Nelson's Column
not see from one side of the  during the Great
street to the other. Smog of 1952

 Not much is known as to

 Between December 5th and
December 9th 1952 a great smog
enveloped London, England. It was
the worst fog/smog in history. It
was the usual fog that falls over
London mixed together with smoke
and exhaust from near-by factories
and homes.
 CAUSE
S
The smog occurred after a period of cold
snowy weather. It resulted in people
burning low-quality sulphurous coal to stay
warm.

 Factories belched gases and huge

numbers of particles into the atmosphere,
which in themselves could be poisonous.
 Pollutants included carbon
dioxide, hydrochloric acid, fluorine
compounds and 800 tones of
sulphur dioxide.

  Around the same time an

anticyclone was hanging over
London which trapped cold air and
chimney smoke close to the
ground.
 EFFECTS
The fog finally cleared on
December 9, but it had
already taken a heavy toll.

 About 4,000 people were

known to have died as a
result of the fog, but it could
be many more.

People were still dying

months after, so that when
the final death tally came in it
was right around 12,000
 Cancellation or
abandonment of concerts
and film screenings.

Travel,  emergency
services and outdoor
sports events were
disrupted for days

 The worst affected area

of London was the East
End as the area was also
low-lying, making it hard
HEALTH EFFECTS
 Pneumonia
 Bronchitis

 Tuberculosis
 Heart failure

 Asthma
 Respiratory
and
cardiac
distress
 Acute lung
The graph shows
the average smoke
and sulphur dioxide
levels for 12 London
sites and the
relationship with
deaths recorded
during the smog
period in December
1952. The peak in
the number of death
coincided with the
peak in both smoke
and sulphur dioxide
pollution levels.
 IMPACT ON TODAY
 Since the Great Smog several acts have
been put into place to make sure that
something like it never happens again.
Parliament passed two clean air acts in
1956 then in 1968, which are still in place
today.
 CONTINUED…

 Today London has 80 monitoring

stations dotted all over the city.

 These stations measure the levels of

carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide and
other pollutants to analyze how deadly
the fog is on those particular days.
 CLEANING THE SMOG

 1956 Clean Air Act

 Introducing 'smoke control areas' in some towns and

cities

 Power stations were relocated to more rural areas. As a

consequence, air pollution in cities was dramatically
reduced.

 By shifting homes' sources of heat towards cleaner coals,

electricity, and gas, it reduced the amount of smoke
pollution and sulphur dioxide from household fires.
 1968 Clean Air Act: Tall Chimneys

― Introduced the basic principle for the use of tall

chimneys for industries burning coal, liquid or
gaseous fuels.

―  At the time of this legislation it was recognized

that smoke pollution could be controlled, but
that sulphur dioxide removal was generally
impracticable.

―  Hence, higher the chimney, the better

the dispersal of the air pollution.
Members -

1] Kushal - 16EE1141
2] Rahul Chandak - 16EE1043
3] Anurati - 16EE2003
4] Mohitosh - 16EE1011
5] Sanil - 16EE1002
6] Nalindas - 16EE1090
7] Abhishek - 16EE1131