The good old days? Not in the factory towns. But there were large rural areas unaffected by air pollution.

　　With increasing population, the entire world is becoming more urban. It is the huge cities that are most affected by air pollution. But rural areas are not unaffected. In the neighborhoods around smoky factories, there is evidence of increased rates of spontaneous abortion(自然流产) and of poor wool quality in sheep, decreased egg production and a high death rate in chickens.

　　Traffic police in Tokyo have to wear gas masks and take “oxygen breaks”—breathing occasionally from tanks of oxygen. Smog in Athens at times has forced factory closings and traffic restrictions. Acid rain in Canada is caused by air pollution in the United States, contributing to strained relationships between the two countries. Sydney, Rome, Tehran, Ankara, Mexico City, and most other major cities in the world have had frightening experiences of air pollution.

　　One of the two major types of smog—consisting of smoke, fog, sulfur dioxide, sulfuring acid (H2SO4), ash and soot—is called London smog. Indeed, the word smog is thought to have originated in England in 1905 as a contraction of the words “smoke” and “fog”.

　　Probably the worst case of smog in history started in London on Thursday, 4 December, 1952. A large cold air mass moved into the valley of the Thames River. A temperature inversion placed a blanket of warm air over the cold air. With nightfall, a dense fog and below-freezing temperatures caused the people of London to put coal into their small stoves. Millions of these fires burned throughout the night, pouring sulfur dioxide and smoke into the air. The next day, Friday, the people continued to burn coal when the temperature remained below freezing. The factories added their smoke and chemical fumes to the atmosphere.

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