MicroFactzzz#0074 · ☠️ Dark Facts
Five days of smog in London killed more people than many an epidemic
In December 1952, thick fog mixed with coal smoke caused thousands of Londoners to die within just a few days.
In early December 1952, an unusually thick smog settled over London, formed by a combination of cold fog and smoke from coal-burning home fireplaces and power plants — the city heated itself almost entirely with low-quality coal at the time.
Visibility in some places dropped to just a few meters — bus drivers had to walk in front of their vehicles, and theater shows were cancelled because audiences couldn't see the stage through the fog that crept indoors.
Estimates of deaths directly and indirectly linked to the smog range from several thousand to over ten thousand within just a few weeks — mainly from respiratory illness among the elderly and children.
The significance: the disaster directly led to the passing of the UK's Clean Air Act in 1956 — one of the first modern laws in the world regulating urban air quality.
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Krulicza Nora
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