An international team of chemists has discovered the causes of the deadliest air pollution in British history - the Great Smog of 1952. It turned out that the environmental disaster was caused by the chemical interaction between sulfur and nitrogen dioxides. The scientists presented their findings in an article published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academies of Sciences.
Scientists have found that the smog was caused by sulphate particles contained inside the water mist droplets. These particles were formed, in turn, due to the interaction between sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide, which were released into the air in the form of car exhaust and smoke from the chimneys of coal-fired power plants. Sulfate contributes to the formation of other particles, including nitrates, which lead to even more air pollution.
When the water droplets began to evaporate, the particles began to concentrate and deposit on surfaces as well as in the lungs of people. Similar processes are observed in such large cities as Beijing and Xi'an. Unfavorable weather conditions and a combination of certain chemicals in the air can lead to deadly smog anywhere around the globe.
The great smog in London was facilitated by the anticyclone, which brought calm weather. The sky had taken on the color of pea soup, and there was an unpleasant odor in the air. People with chronic respiratory diseases began to suffer from bronchitis and pneumonia. It is estimated that about 12,000 people died from the pollution. The cause of death in most cases is mechanical obstruction of the airways with pus from a lung infection.
