Toxic Smog In The Late 19th Century

In 1952, a toxic smog covered London. This fog continued to blanket the city for four days. Although this is a short period of time, the smog had a fatal aftermath. This still continues today and affects the people who were exposed to the toxic fumes. There were many things that contributed to the way the smog started, ended, and how it became toxic. One main reason why the smog started and lasted so long was because of the weather. There was a high-pressure air mass stalled over the Thames River Valley. This happened because cold air came in from the west and trapped the air over London. This is why the fog lasted for so long. The main reason why the fog became so toxic was because of all the polution. Since the cold air was trapped
People died from this because the smog was so thick and hazy people could not see. One example of this would be when two trains collided near the London Bridge. This is just one way people died from the smog. Another way that caused death because of the smog was sickness. The major sickness was any kind of respiratory distress. The people that had the highest risk of getting sick and dying were the elderly, babies, and people with respiratory or cardiovascular problems. Death from bronchitis and pneumonia increased more than seven times the normal amount. Animals were also affected by the smog. The animals would suffocate from the toxic fumes. One example of this would be when the smog killed a prize winning cow. December 9 is when the citizens began to realize how serious the aftermath of the smog was. December 9 is when the smog lifted. The smog went away because the weather changed. When the smog lifted citizens began to see how many people the smog affected. By December 9, around 4,000 residents had died and 150,000 hospitalized. Thousands of people and animals had died in the span of four days. After the smog completely went away, around 12,000 people had died. Reports estimated that out of those 12,000 people, 4,000 had died