![]() ![]() But according to the government's Department for Environment and Rural Affairs, emissions from transport account for at least 80%. Nevertheless, says the study's author Dr Heather Walton, there is still some uncertainty on exactly how many deaths can be attributed to the gas. ![]() Only now have researchers been able to conclude that there is an independent effect. While scientists have been aware of NO2’s toxic properties for many years, the fact that it’s usually present with other pollutants has made it difficult to isolate its impact, says Kings College air quality specialist Martin Williams. The study, which was carried out for Transport for London by Kings College London’s Environmental Research Group, attributes these premature deaths to two main pollutants: fine particulates known as PM2.5 and the toxic gas nitrogen dioxide (NO2). And with a recent study suggesting that pollution in the capital claims as many as 9,500 lives a year, a growing number of scientists, politicians and campaigners believe that on the eve of the Clean Air Act's 60th anniversary, the UK must once again invoke its pioneering spirit. In the years that followed, a host of other industrial nations were inspired to follow suit.īut, while air pollution from coal may be a thing of past, London's air quality problem hasn’t gone away. Public health was vastly improved flora and fauna that had all but vanished from urban places by the 1950s began to flourish and the grand architecture of Britain's cities was no longer obscured beneath a thick layer of soot and grime. The act was truly revolutionary, representing a major global milestone in environmental protection. Some even celebrated air pollution as a tangible measure of Britain's industrial vitality, while the blazing coal fire, with all its cosy connotations of ‘home and hearth’, was a luxury few were prepared to give up. ![]() “In Britain’s coal-fuelled cities, smoke was tolerated for more than a century as a trade-off for jobs and home comforts,” says environmental historian Dr Stephen Mosley. It also marked something of a turning point: until then, people had accepted smog as a necessary evil. Official estimates at the time put the number of fatalities at 4,000 – more civilian casualties than were caused by any single incident during the war – while recent research suggests that it may have caused as many as 12,000 deaths.Īlthough ‘pea-soupers’, as the smogs were known, had been an unavoidable feature of Britain's major cities for more than a hundred years, the Great Smog of 1952 was the worst. But while the smoke would normally disperse into the atmosphere, an anticyclone hanging over the region created an inversion – trapping the pollution close to the ground and leading to the formation of a sulphurous, toxic shroud that would blanket the capital for the next five days.īefore the weather conditions changed and the smog retreated, thousands had died. Want more of the latest London news sent straight to your inbox? Sign up to our tailored newsletters here.On that cold, clear day in 1952, Londoners huddled around their coal fires for warmth. Got a story? Please email or WhatsApp 07580 255582. When droplets from freezing fog freeze onto surfaces, a white deposit of feathery ice crystals is formed. Tiny water droplets in the air become supercooled but remain liquid as they need a surface to freeze on. Freezing fog forms in the same way as normal fog but occurs when temperatures go sub zero. Tyre maker Continental advises reducing speed and increasing braking distance, using fog lights or low beams, and being prepared to pull over if things get too bad.Īnother type of fog also threatens to be a deadly combo. Reduced visibility is bad for drivers too. British Airways cancelled 15 departures from Heathrow and there were another six cancellations at London City Airport. On Monday, Heathrow Airport said poor visibility meant it was operating with a reduced rate of planes taking off and landing. Fog forms best with clear skies as they allow the temperature to drop more easily as heat escapes the surface, helping reach that crucial 'fog point'.įog can be a pain for drivers, aviators, and mariners. But, don't be fooled into thinking you need clouds to make fog. The River Thames will also have contributed to Monday's fog, with it forming more easily around water. ![]()
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