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THE INDEX, Saturday, June 9, 1928 5
W h a t S a n i t a t i o n O f T l i e A i r M e a n s
Scientific Observation of Smoke Pollution Developes That tlie Enormous
Soot Burden Given Oil bu Burning Coal in Cities SerioLishj Affects
Healtn, Promotes Diseases and CaLises Residents an EnormoLis Monetary
Loss. Pittsburgh's Annual Smoke Tax Estimated at $10,000,000
E. R. WEIDLEIN
Director Mellon Institute of Industrial Research and President American Chemical Society
one desires to revel in statistics relating to added undo some of the misfortunes which have befallen
COST OF SMOKE
expense of living because of laundry costs, deterior­ us, along with the marvelous developments of the
The New York City Department of Health
ation of merchandise and material in general, low­ 100 years just passed? Some of the hopeful features
and the National Conference Board of Sanitaered efficiency, and promotion of human ills especial­ of the case are:
tion, jointly, have published a bulletin entitled ly and specifically chargeable to the filtering out of 1—Public intelligence is growing.
"What Price Smoke." Facts and opinions on the ultra-violet rays of the sun by reason of the
the harm to health and property caused by very effective smoke screen, it is all in the printed
2—Scientific and investigational activity has made
smoke and soot are expressed by officials of reports of the surveys and the literature. We are
wonderful advance in this direction in very recent
health departments and other organizations here and now only interested in the fact of a positive
years.
and editorials are quoted. The bulletin sets and overwhelming unsanitary state of the air in 3—Fuel research the world over is being promoted
forth that a ton of soot falls every day on every large city. Here is an illustration given by today as never before by both government and pri­
every square mile in the central section of I>r. Samuel W. Parr, president of the American vate agencies.
Rochester, N. Y.; that smoke keeps out 30 Chemical Society.
With respect to the Pittsburgh district, we can
per cent of Philadelphia's sunlight, and that Assuming a sulphur content of less than 2 per point with pride to the fundamental knowledge
Mount Vernon, N. Y., has from three to nine cent for this type of fuel, you may see, by the exer­ acquired in as well as the anti-smoke ordinance that
hours more of sunlight each month than Batcise of a little mental arithmetic, that from the resulted from the Smoke Investigation conducted by
tery Park, New York, on account of the smoke burning of 600 million tons there would be dis­ Mellon Institute of Industrial Research during the
there.
charged into the atmosphere over 20 million tons of period 1912-1914. A supplemental study made by
The statement is made with the authority
sulphur dioxide, or 40 billion pounds. This being in the Institute in 1923 showed, however, that efforts
of the New Jersey Public Utility Information gaseous form, it would be more appropriately ex­ to minimize atmospheric smoke pollution should be
Committee that smoke costs each inhabitant pressed in cubic feet and the number would be continued even more aggressively and that, in addi­
of the United States $16 a year, and that the roughly 400 billion cubic feet of the pure gas. If tion, attention should be accorded to the dust prob­
average cost of city residents is much higher. now we assume this concentration to be reduced by lem of the City of Pittsburgh. It is reasonable to
The Scientific American is said to have stated dilution with air to the limit of toxicity for plant conclude from available evidence that air dust,
that the annual "tax" due to smoke and soot life—say, one to four parts per million—we arrive especially inorganic dust, is an important topic from
in Cleveland amounts to $6,000,000; Cincin­ at a figure that is meaningless by reason of mere a health standpoint. It is conceivable that this dust
nati, $8,000,000; Pittsburgh, $10,000,000, and magnitude.
plays a part in the causation and maintenance of
Chicago, $17,000,000. The bulletin also states Fortunately, one method of sanitary regulation of respiratory diseases. Then, too, it is easily demon­
that in a residential district of 30 blocks in the air is still in operation—a good shower now and strable experimentally that dust screens out more
St. Louis a two-thirds reduction of smoke was then will wash the air free from the pollution. This ultraviolet rays from sunlight than does the mass
effected in one year through the educational is a case where Heaven helps those who do not help of particles that constitute smoke. Investigations
efforts of inspectors of the smoke abatement themselves. Sometimes we can run away from the carried out in England a short time ago showed
T league, H E which question endeavored of the pollution to aid every of the house­ evil by taking a trip far into the country, or into that the ultraviolet ray content of country air, un-
air of
hold in cities the by district the smoke in adopting from factories efficient and firing the North woods, or an ocean voyage, but for most contaminated with smoke, was approximately five
from
methods.
of us such a remedy is more drastic in some of its times greater than that of the atmosphere of London.
private coal stoves and furnaces is becom­
phases than the ill itself, and so we bear it.
ing more and more important in urban
SMOKE AND DISEASE
sanitation. Some cities are not so much affected as
Dr. Trillat, professor in the Pasteur Institute,
others, but a real smoke problem exists in every
ascribes to the foggy days of Spring and Autumn,
municipality that has industrial plants. In many
when droplets of moisture are suspended in the air
of our large cities large factories burning bitumin­
and form a heavy layer a short distance above the
ous coal are being operated night and day.
ground, the seasonal recrudescence of infectious dis­
We have made marvelous advances in cures for
eases in large cities. Particularly influenza, angina,
human ills, in bacterial control, in hygiene and sani­
otitis, scarlet fever and diphtheria seem to be spread
tation so far as water and waste are concerned, but
under such conditions.
sanitation of the air stands today about where it
An analysis of the smoke particles has shown the
did 100 years ago. In fact, air sanitation is in a
presence not only of unconsumed carbon but also of
worse plight, for the discharge into the air annually
various products due to imperfect combustion in
of smoke and sulphur and ash particles and grime
stoves and fireplaces; namely, sulphurous acid, chlor­
generally from 600 million tons of coal has been met
ine, ammonia and various hydrocarbons, which give
by practically nothing in the way of remedy. Recog­
rise to permanent irritation of the mucous memnition
of the distress is of long standing. In 1580
branes of the respiratory passages and of the ocular
Queen Elizabeth prohibited the burning of coal in
apparatus. The smoke particles with sharp edges
London during the Parliamentary season for fear
(cinders) sometimes cause traumatism of the bron­
"the health of the knights of the shire might suffer
chial mucosa, which may become in turn a portal
during their abode in the Metropolis."
of entry for the tubercle bacillus, as happens occa­
The first smoke abatement commission was organsionally
among workmen exposed to mineral dust—
ized by the British government 240 years later. A
stone breakers, molders and others. Furthermore,
recent estimate of the deposit of soot for the city of
smoke particles soil furnishings of homes and are
London gives for each adult male inhabitant an
E. R. WEIDLEIN,
dangerous because they serve to fix and transport
amount substantially equivalent to his own weight
infectious microorganisms.
Dirctor of Mellon Institute of Industrial Research,
of carbon deposited annually. Smoke surveys have
Recently there was established a foundation for whose efforts to eliminate smoke in Pittsburgh pro­
also been conducted in almost every large city in
research into the cause of common colds. Perhaps duced wonderful results and whose methods set the
this country with fairly comparable results. One
the effect upon the mucous membranes of sulphur standard for world wide smoke investigations and
inaugurated in Chicago in 1912 found a decided
dioxide gas is a contributing factor in producing
remedies.
The Indianapolis, smoke same evil might there. Salt be Lake said It is of City, still Pittsburgh, there. and so on Cleveland,
and on. If THE What this sight? PRESENT very about Will common the OUTLOOK all future? of complaint.
the next Is there 100 years any relief be required in to