The fog that caused the death of 12,000 people 70 years ago !

In this mysterious event that took place in London in 1952, an effective 5-day fog had fallen. This fog was so dense that people could not see in front of its nose. In this incident, which took place 70 years ago, 12,000 people lost their lives. No matter how ordinary the fog is, let's take a closer look at the event.

Although the fog was actually created by natural means, the main cause of this disaster was people. The air pollution and factory fumes created by humans were so intense that they created fog. 

Of course, that wasn't the main factor; In London that year, the weather was far below normal. In other words, due to this cold weather, factories and power plants consumed a lot of coal to provide their products. As you can see, the fact that factories caused air pollution was so that people could continue to live.

Excessive use of coal disrupted the balance of the air !

Another factor causing air pollution was the coal policy. The coal policy implemented at that time in England in 1952 was based on a profit-oriented approach. In other words, high-quality coals were exported, and the people of the city used low-quality coal. Thus, air pollution occurred as the sulfur dioxide released when the coals of poor quality were burned, were chemically converted into sulfuric acid.

Here, the detail that ignited the fuse of the main event was that there was no wind at that time, and thus, because the polluted air did not spread into the atmosphere, it was stuck in its environment. On top of that, electric trams were phased out at that time, and people started using diesel-powered buses. Afterward, the entire city was suddenly covered in a deadly fog.

Although the effect of the fog has passed, many health problems have occurred !

When this life-destroying fog finally came to an end with the winds blowing from London towards the North Sea, the wreckage it left behind was very serious. The British Ministry of Health stated that the number of applicants due to respiratory diseases increased during this period.

In fact, 6,000 deaths caused by different lung diseases such as bronchitis and respiratory tract infections were recorded by the ministry. Research after the event mentions that this number has risen to 12,000. We can say that the event was one of the most prominent events of its period in every sense.

In fact, due to this event, the Clean Air Law, which was prepared in 1956, was defined to reduce air pollution and included various measures.

The law became primary legislation in 1968 that limited air pollution from commercial and industrial causes as well as sand, dust, and smoke from various fires. Unfortunately, precaution was taken after the incident broke out, and even though many people were harmed, we can still say that it was the beginning of good development for environmentalism.

(source)