Pollution In London

During the winter of 1952, London was affected by a severe air pollution incident. A thick smog settled over the city of London on December 21st, resulting in anguish amongst the residents. This devastating event was a result of large amounts of coal that was being burnt to produce heat, during the winter. As this coal was being combusted for people to keep warm, large proportions of toxic chemicals were simultaneously being released.
According to the United Kingdom’s National Weather Service, the following pollutants were released during the foggy period: 1,000 tons of smoke particles, 2,000 tons of carbon dioxide, 140 tons of hydrochloric acid, 14 tons of fluorine compounds and 370 tons of sulfur dioxide. In the weeks that ensued, …show more content…
The oil from the well was distilled into kerosene and used as lamp oil. Due to coal being hard to get and move across the country, people became more dependent on Petroleum oil. It also released less particulate pollution, which is when the air contains drops of solids and liquids, some that are small than 10 micrometers in diameter . These tiny particles are very harmful to us, they can get into our body system, causing great damage to our bodies or lead to health problems. In the 1850s, early materialistic wells were dug up in Poland and Romania. The world’s first oil refinery was created in Jasło in Poland and another larger one in Ploiești, Romania. The very first commercial oil well in Canada started operating in 1858 in Oil Springs, Ontario. Oil Exploration in the early 20th century in North America led to US becoming the leading producer during the mid-century. Petroleum replaced whale oil in lamps and diesel began to replace coal as a fuel in locomotives. By the end of the World War II, petroleum oil had replaced coal as the main source of energy to power the US economy and was considered less harmful to the environment. However, petroleum, on being combusted. also releases harmful pollutants into the