04 December 1952 (04 December 1952) was a date for London that brought doom. On seeing the day, there was darkness in London. People began to panic. The reason for the darkness in the day was the deep smog, which is still remembered by the name of The Great Smog of London.
The date of 04 December 1952 is still a very frightening date for London. On that day, suddenly there was darkness in the city. People started having difficulty in breathing. Felt suffocated It was very dangerous to get out. There was a rush in hospitals. People were dying pathetically when they came out. It is believed that this Great Smog of London killed 15,000 people in the next four days.
The people of London were shaken by this dark smog . Bigger air pollution was not seen here before that. Not only did the sheet of darkness spread from the smog in early December but the cold was also at its peak. The winds were not moving. This gave the air pollution a full chance to cover the feet. By the way, this smog was born using coal – which had spread a thick black sheet over the whole city.
It lasted for five days
This smog did not last a day or two, but started on December 04 and continued for the next five days. Only when the weather changed. Visibility decreased. This smog also entered into houses and closed places. Although London had suffered smog for decades before, it was the biggest shock. Some people called it P-soup i.e. dense like pea soup.
More than one lakh fell ill
Medical reports of the government which kept telling about this disaster for the next few weeks. By 08 December 1952, it was estimated that 4000 people died in four days. This smog was a direct hit on his health. Apart from this, more than one lakh fell ill due to its effects.
People’s nervous system was badly affected. The lungs became infected. Respiratory diseases have occurred. There was a problem in the throat. The eyes started burning badly. However, later research suggests that more than 6000 people died in it and more than one lakh people succumbed to diseases due to the effect of smog. Its effect continued in the coming months as well.
Then King Edward prohibited the burning of coal.
However, air pollution in London started from the 13th century. In 1301, Edward I banned the burning of coal due to this in London. By the 16th century, the air had become poisonous by the time it arrived. But the Great Smog was the worst incident of air pollution in the history of Britain.
Only after this, the public awareness of the world started from research on environment, its health and its government related environmental laws and purity of air. Later in 1956, the Clean Air Act was formed in Britain for the first time.
What was the reason for the great smog
In winter, Londoners used to burn coal extensively to keep their homes warm. Its smoke produced a large amount of sulfur dioxide. Many coal-fired power stations had also started in the areas of London. They were further increasing the sulfur dye oxide.
According to the Meteorological Department of London, all these things were dissolved in air a thousand tons of smoke particles, 140 tons of hydraulic acid, 14 tons of fluorine compounds, 370 tons of sulfur dioxide in the air. Which used to produce 800 tons of moisture in the form of sulfuric acid
Also, the pollution in the air through vehicles was different. At that time coal steam-based trains and diesel-fueled buses were run, which were later replaced by electric tram systems.
How was the weather
On 04 December, a condition of vacuum was prevailing in the air due to low pressure in Greater London. The wind was not moving at all. Due to the cold, separate surfaces of polluting elements in the air were being prepared.
A mixture of hot air and fog led to the formation of a thick layer of smog. The smog included smoke that was coming out of the chimneys of people’s homes and factories. Together these formed such a thick surface of the smog, it remained intact for the next several days.
What happened
Although fog in London was not new, but it proved to be more dense and longer-lived. Visibility decreased a lot. Up to a few meters only. It seemed as if you had become blind. It was impossible to drive.
– Public transport has been discontinued. However, London Underground services continued to operate. Ambulance service stopped. Due to which people had to reach the hospital on their own strength.
The smog was so dense that it entered the houses and indoor. Due to this, concerts and film screenings were stopped. Outdoor sports events canceled.
– I could not see it during the day. It became difficult for people to get out of homes. The condition became worse at night.
– In those days, smog masks were negligible and even if they were very expensive, therefore most people were not in a position to buy them.
Health effects
There was no panic in London at the time when the smog was in shadow, but later data suggested that this poisonous fog killed 4000 people. Most people were young or old.
Later Marcus Lipton told the House of Commons in February 1953 that 6000 people died due to this fog and more than 25 thousand people became ill. Recent research suggests that this dangerous smog had killed 12 thousand people then.
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