Great London Smog

During the 19^th and early 20^th century a lot of coal was burnt in towns and cities, in home and in factories, for heating and industry. The coal produced a lot of smoke and sulphur dioxide pollution when it was burnt and made the air very dirty. When the weather was foggy and winds were low, the pollution became trapped over the cities. The smoke and fog mixed to produce smog.

Smog was a big problem in the winter as the weather was cold and so more coal was burnt to produce heat. When smog lay over a city it became hard for people to breathe. In December 1952, the city of London became so polluted because of smog that as many as 4,000 died as a result of breathing difficulties. The Great London Smog, as the episode became known, persuaded the Government to act to clean up Britain's air, particularly within cities. Laws were past to reduce the amount of pollution given off by coal burning, by using cleaner coal and by using tall chimneys to disperse pollution from factories and power stations.

London Smog deaths

Air Quality

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