Unit-iv unit-iv environmental Hygiene

2. Donora (Pennsylvania), October, 1948

• Intense foggy condition that lasted few days.
• A large proportion of the population (more than 40%) became ill due to exposure to
• Manifested ocular & throat irritation, cough & other respiratory symptoms &vomiting
• Caused due to excessive sulphur compounds including sulphuric acid from industries

3. London, December, 1952, 1962

3. London, December, 1952, 1962

• Famous smog disaster (1952) for 5 days
• Death of thousands people, children & the old
• Caused acute respiratory disease in cattle
• Another episode of smog (Dec., 1962) that also caused substantial morbidity& mortality
• Sulphur compounds: probable causes of the illness

4. New York (United States)

• Air pollution disasters were reported during 1953, 1962 & 1966
• The smog caused substantial morbidity and mortality in 1962

5. Bhopal (India),1984

• Leakage of a toxic gas (methyl isocynate) from a pesticide plant.
• More than 5000 people died
• Many more thousands were affected by a variety of illnesses including respiratory dysfunction, blindness & deformities in the infants

Air pollution: a historical perspective

Chernobyl (erstwhile USSR), 1986

• Chernobyl (erstwhile USSR), 1986
• Most famous radiation disasters that occurred in as a result of massive leakage of radioactivity from a nuclear reactor
• The melting of & explosion in the reactor led to death of about 2000 persons & contamination of the environment in the neighboring areas
• Los Angeles (California)
• The smog pollution in the city has more to do with petrol than coal
• The area is highly industrialized and densely populated
• The problem that was associated with various respiratory symptoms was recognized as early as 1940(s)
• Caused ocular & respiratory irritation& damage to vegetation

Air pollution: a historical perspective