A History of Pollution

During the act of combustion small particles are released into the atmosphere. In places like London, where fog is a common occurrence, water vapor clings to these particulates and lay low to the ground. In large enough proportions this can create the thick choking cloud known as smog. Smog being the combination of the words “smoke” and “fog”.

Pollution has plagued London since its earliest days, with smog being prevalent as early as the 13th century when coal burning became the primary source of heat. As the city expanded through the centuries pollution became much worse. By the 1600s citizens vehemently complained to King James I about foul smelling air, and he attempted legislation to restrict coal burning but it was ineffective. Rapid industrialization in the 1700s further worsened the problem, and during the Industrial Revolution of the 1800s it became a crisis. Air pollution increased dramatically as both furnaces in factories and domestic fireplaces spewed soot into the atmosphere, and the smog was not just choking, it was deadly. When coal is burned it releases sulfur dioxide and carbon monoxide, carbon monoxide in high enough quantities can kill a person. Sulfur dioxide would combine with water from the fog to create sulfuric acid, so not only were people breathing toxic fumes they were breathing acid! “Pea-soupers”, as the thick smog came to be called, along with raw sewage in the streets and garbage piling up drastically decreased public health. By this time the life expectancy of the average Londoner was only 37 years. Even military leaders began to complain about the issue as they found that only 2 out of every 10 fighting age men from London was fit for service. There were several notable smog events during this time where the city would be covered for days at a time by a brownish-yellow suffocating mist. One of the most serious happened in 1873 where London saw its death rate rise by 40%. It was during this heavily polluted time that London gained its foggy reputation across the globe with writers like Charles Dickens and Arthur Conan Doyle publishing books containing vivid descriptions of the hazy city.