London smog incident (London smog incident killed about 8000 people)

Fog is a common weather phenomenon in life. With the coming of winter, there is more and more fog, which brings inconvenience to life and may also bring hidden dangers to health.

Today, I would like to share with you the fog and haze incident in London on February 5, 1952. I hope you can realize the harm of smog, take care of the environment and reduce air pollution.

1952, 1952 On February 5, 1952, an unusually thick smog came to London, which lasted for five days, and London came to a standstill. But it didn't cause panic at first, because fog is a common phenomenon in London. Although these fogs are strange, at first they were only considered as an extreme weather. It was not until a long time later that the evil consequences of this fog slowly emerged.

London is a densely populated city. Many people and industries are concentrated in one place, and the air quality has always been worse than other cities in Britain. Even in Victorian times, the city was notorious for its foggy streets. Writers at that time called these things "pea soup", suggesting that fog is similar to soup in color and density. With London entering the 20th century, the air quality in London has improved, but by 1952, fog is still a very big problem.

At that time, coal was still a common source of power generation. Many coal-fired power generation is located in London, and coal is also an important household fuel.

In the first few months of 1952, 1 1 and 12, there was an abnormal low temperature in London, and residents burned a lot of coal at home to keep warm. Because the world war had just ended and the ground resources were still scarce, most people could only burn inferior coal and produce a lot of smoke. Due to the superposition of these factors, London has produced a lot of air pollution.

1952 65438+February 5, the weather is very special. There was no wind at all that day, and the atmosphere was in a high pressure area, which pushed the warm air rising from the chimney directly back to the street level, causing pollution to be trapped in the city. Soon, a thick blanket was discharged from the chimneys of homes and factories all over the city, covering all buildings except the tallest building.

The fog was not very thick on the first day, but it became thicker and thicker as time went on. At this time, the factory continues to inject pollution into the atmosphere at an alarming rate. In some places, things look yellow or green. And many people report that he smells like rotten eggs. People in London began to worry about air quality. They have to wear masks or masks when they go out, and some even put masks on their pets.

Due to the heavy fog, the visibility is reduced, and the urban transportation network is paralyzed. There are almost no planes to take off and land, and most flights are transferred to other airports. Buses and other forms of ground public transportation have been cancelled because drivers simply can't see far enough. This makes the London Underground the only public transport available to millions of Londoners. Private traffic is similarly affected. Many roads are blocked because of many accidents, because the fog causes travel confusion and creates opportunities for thieves. Because the visibility is almost zero, the police can't walk around, the crime rate has soared, hundreds of robberies have taken place, and thieves have escaped under the cover of fog.

Except for this wave of opportunistic crimes, most ordinary activities have stopped. Workers are sent home from the office, or they can't go to work for the first time, and schools are closed. All the schools were closed and the football match was forced to stop. Even the theatrical performance was affected, because the fog penetrated into the auditorium through the window. At that time, some survivors recorded what it was like to walk in the smog. People remember holding hands with their friends on their way to school to avoid separation. In other places. Passers-by are escorted across the street by police officers with torches, or find their way by flashing lights on overhead tram lines. At the destination, many people found their clothes blackened by smoke for several days and kept coughing. Some people report that they can't see anything in the street. In some places where smoke is rolling, they can't even see their feet.

At the same time, because it is difficult to travel in foggy days, considering that the subway is the only feasible way, thousands of people queue up to buy tickets.

After enduring the fog for five days, the fog gradually disappeared with the change of weather. The city trapped for five days is running again, the roads are cleared, the bus service is resumed, and Londoners return to work after the strangest weekend. In this incident, many Londoners felt unwell due to smog, and the number of patients with respiratory symptoms such as dyspnea, stinging eyes, asthma and cough increased significantly. At the same time, the death rate of London residents has risen sharply, especially the elderly, especially those who already have cardiovascular diseases.

According to some experts' statistics, this smog caused about 4,000 deaths in 1952 and 65438+February, and had a follow-up effect, causing about 8,000 deaths in 1953 and 65438+ 10 and February. This incident has attracted wide attention from the British government and the whole world. People began to pay attention to the harm of air pollution and promulgated corresponding laws and regulations to control air pollution.

Are you shocked after seeing the accident? Should we do something about air pollution?