Green Glossary: Great Smog

There had been many examples of "killer fog" in London before but from December 5 to 9, 1952, residents of England's largest city were introduced to the "Big Smoke" and this event "formed an important impetus to the modern environmental movement." A report by medical students at Edinburgh University offers some basics: "The term smog simply describes fog that has soot in it. Winter smog in which smoke, sulphur dioxide from the city's chimneys, accumulated in the foggy air had been a feature of London life since at least the 17th century. However the industrial revolution of the 19th century in Britain's major cities gave a dramatic increase in air pollution."

This "toxic mix of dense fog and sooty black coal smoke" helped create "the deadliest environmental episode in recorded history". Wiki adds: "Deaths in most cases during the Great Smog were due to respiratory tract infections from hypoxia (a low level of oxygenation of blood), and due to mechanical obstruction of the air passages by pus arising from lung infections caused by the smog. The lung infections were mainly bronchopneumonia or acute purulent bronchitis superimposed upon chronic bronchitis."

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