Smog Sulfur Dioxide, Acidic Aerosols, and Soot

London Smog Sulfur Dioxide, Acidic Aerosols, and Soot 

In the seventeenth century, John Evelyn published a major treatise on air pollution in London, caused by the widespread domestic use of high-sulfur coal. In it, he noted effects not only on materials  

Evelyn s air pollution classic, and an article by Barr, The Doom of London, are reprinted in the book The Smoake of London. Two Prophecies (Lodge, 1969). They make interesting and useful reading and help place our present problems in perspective. 

TABLE 1.1 Some Incidents of Excess Deaths Associated with Smog  

In more recent times, a number of air pollution episodes have been quite dramatic. Table 1.1 lists some of the most severe in which excess deaths (i.e., deaths beyond what is expected for that location and time of year based on past statistics) have been attributed to air pollution. During these episodes, there tended to be heavy fogs and low inversion levels that concentrated the pollutants in a relatively small volume. 

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