Unknown number affected by breathing difficulties, lung cancer and bronchitis
Deaths
4,000 killed (1952 government estimate)[1]
10,000–12,000 killed (modern estimate)[1][2]
The Great Smog of London, or Great Smog of 1952, was a severe air pollution event that affected London, England, in December 1952. A period of unusually cold weather, combined with an anticyclone and windless conditions, collected airborne pollutants—mostly arising from the use of coal—to form a thick layer of smog over the city. It lasted from Friday 5 December to Tuesday 9 December 1952, then dispersed quickly when the weather changed.[3][4]
The smog caused major disruption by reducing visibility and even penetrating indoor areas, far more severely than previous smog events, called "pea-soupers".[5] Government medical reports in the weeks following the event estimated that up to 4,000 people had died as a direct result of the smog[1] and 100,000 more were made ill by the smog's effects on the human respiratory tract. More recent research suggests that the total number of fatalities was considerably greater, with estimates of between 10,000 and 12,000 deaths.[1][2]
London's poor air quality had been a problem since at least the 13th century.[6][7] The diarist John Evelyn had written about "the inconveniencie of the aer and smoak of London [sic]" in Fumifugium, the first book written about air pollution, in 1661.[8] However, the Great Smog was many times worse than anything the city had ever experienced before: it is thought to be the worst air pollution event in the history of the United Kingdom,[9] and the most significant for its effects on environmental research, government regulation, and public awareness of the relationship between air quality and health.[1][8] It led to several changes in practices and regulations, including the Clean Air Act 1956.[10][11]
^ abcdefBell, M.L.; Davis, D.L.; Fletcher, T. (2004). "A Retrospective Assessment of Mortality from the London Smog Episode of 1952: The Role of Influenza and Pollution". Environ Health Perspect. 112 (1, January): 6–8. doi:10.1289/ehp.6539. PMC 1241789. PMID 14698923.
^ abCite error: The named reference Stone was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Cite error: The named reference met was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^"1952: London fog clears after days of chaos". BBC News. 9 December 1952. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
^"Days of toxic darkness". BBC News. 5 December 2002. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
^Brimblecombe, Peter (1976). "Attitudes and Responses Towards Air Pollution in Medieval England". Journal of the Air Pollution Control Association. 26 (10): 941–45. doi:10.1080/00022470.1976.10470341. PMID 789426.
^Brimblecombe, Peter (1987). The Big Smoke: A History of Air Pollution in London Since Medieval Times. Methuen. p. 7. ISBN 1136703292. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
^ abEvelyn, John (1661). Fumifugium, or, The Inconveniencie of the Aer and Smoak of London. London: W. Godbid. ISBN 9780904617061. Retrieved 1 April 2022.
^McKie, Robin & Townsend, Mark. Great Smog is history, but foul air still kills (The Observer, 24 November 2002).
^Excell, John (22 December 2015). "The lethal effects of London fog". BBC News. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
^Brimblecombe, Peter (1 November 2006). "The Clean Air Act after 50 years". Weather. 61 (11): 311–314. Bibcode:2006Wthr...61..311B. doi:10.1256/wea.127.06. eISSN 1477-8696. ISSN 0043-1656. S2CID 123552841.
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