The "big smoke" killed 4,000 people in five days, and 150,000 residents had seriously endangered health and had to visit a doctor due to a respiratory tract infection. In the long run, 12,000 people died from the deadly fog, as did thousands of animals.
In the proverbial foggy London, the situation that you often do not see "a finger in front of your eye", let alone something further, is a common occurrence. As a result, few were excited when a thick, opaque blanket landed on the British capital in 1952. The panic started only when people started dying from this phenomenon! It was December 5 when the fog quietly crept into the streets of London. The conditions - icy weather, anticyclone and practically no wind, were perfect for a thick and opaque envelope to cover the entire city. In early December 1952, London was hit by unusually cold weather and people became increasingly hot by burning large amounts of coal. Post-war coal, used in the UK, was of low quality and full of sulfur (similar to lignite), while higher quality coal (like anthracite) was usually exported to pay off World War II debts. Thus, by heating, the British created smoke with a large amount of sulfur dioxide.
In addition, there was pollution and smoke from vehicles - especially from steam locomotives and diesel buses, which replaced the recently abandoned electric tram system. Other industrial and commercial sources have also contributed to air pollution.
The fog lasted for four days. Although the London Underground continued to operate (because it travels underground), all other public transport, including ambulances, stopped. Concerts, film screenings and public gatherings were canceled, and smog entered the houses. Eyewitnesses later said that the fog was so thick that you could see only a meter in front of you and nothing more!
As it came, so did the fog, on December 9, 1952.
Sulphates were a key component in the London fog, which made the fog thick, unpleasant smelling and poisonous. It has always been assumed that the London fog was caused by sulfur dioxide emitted from low-quality coal from chimneys, industrial plants and power plants. Another key aspect of the conversion of sulfur dioxide to sulfate is the production of acid particles.
The natural fog that descended contained larger particles of several tens of micrometers, while the acid that was formed was sufficiently diluted, so that the evaporation of these parts of the fog, and then the rest of the acidic parts of the fog, covered the city.
But the English had never seen this kind of smog before, and then the worst followed.
The most vulnerable residents - children, the elderly and the chronically ill, quickly became ill and died. Then they realized that the smog was toxic, but it was only later that the size of the smog was determined, which was also called the "big pea soup" because of its color, and it turned out that it contained poisonous sulfuric acid.
Well, now… If air pollution could have killed 12,000 people 67 years ago, imagine what it can do today!
I really can't even think because in my neighborhood there is a similar fog as in London in 1952. ... uuuhhhh, terrible. I just looked at some sites with air purifiers at home. Prices range around 170e and up.