§ Mr. Ellis Smithasked the Parliamentary Secretary for Science what is the most dangerous part of air pollution; if he will provide figures in tabular form showing the national average of the dangerous part of air pollution; which six areas of the United Kingdom suffered the most; and to what extent the dangerous part of air pollution for each
196W
Year ending 31st March 1958 1959 1960 1961 Smoke Sulphur dioxide Smoke Sulphur dioxide Smoke Sulphur dioxide Smoke Sulphur dioxide * Average of all available results. 200 200 211 231 160 172 Not yet available Phillips Park (Manchester) No measurements of smoke or sulphur dioxide Heaton Park (Manchester) No measurement of smoke or sulphur dioxide Manchester (Town Hail) — — — — 260 343 251 349 Salford (Regent Road) 490 400 550 486 450 372 504 415 Stretford (Town Hall) — — — — — — 247 252 Warrington (Health Centre) 190 315 340 286 210 229 200 300 Widnes (Health Centre) — — — — 170 286 Insufficient observations† Bolton (Central Police Station). — — — — — — 353 263 Stoke-on-Trent (Glebe Street) — — — — Insufficient observations† 242 257 * These figures are averages of all results available; but since the choice of sites for these measurements was governed by local considerations, the average cannot be used as a yardstick for comparative purposes. † Measurements were not reported for a complete year. Measurements of smoke and sulphur dioxide were started in Trafford Park, Eccles and Urmston, for the first time during the year ending 31st March, 1961, but since measurements were not made for a complete year it is not possible to give a yearly average. year 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, affected the areas of Trafford Park, Phillips Park, Heaton Park, Manchester, Salford, Eccles, Stretford, Urmston, Warrington, Widnes, Bolton and Stoke-on-Trent.
§ 31 Mr. Denzil FreethAir pollution is complex and variable and it is not yet possible to identify any one of its constituents as the most dangerous.
Measurements are being regularly made of smoke and sulphur dioxide in the atmosphere. The average of all available measurements of these two pollutants, together with the available averages for the places detailed in the Question, for each of the four years in the period ending on 31st March, 1961, are as follows, expressed in microgrammes per cubic metre per day (the figures given are for a site near the centre of the town when no more definite area is indicated):
197WThe six places in the United Kingdom where the highest yearly averages for these pollutants were recorded during the same period are as follows:
Smoke Sulphur Dioxide Year ending 31st March, 1958 Leeds. London, Greenwich. Newcastle-upon-Tyne London, Westminster. Salford. Salford. Queensbury. Leeds. Glasgow. London, City. London, Hackney. Sheffield. Rawmarsh.
Year ending 31st March, 1959 Salford. Leeds. Bolton. Salford. Sheffield. Huddersfield. Leeds. London, City. Wakefield. London, Westminster. Manchester. Sheffield.
Year ending 31st March, 1960 Sheffield. Leeds. Stocksbridge. Sheffield. Bolton. Liverpool. Salford. London, City. London, Greenwich. Bolton. Huddersfield. London, St. Pancras. Leeds. Salford. Year endingst March. 1961
Not yet available.
Comparisons between towns on the basis of results from any one site in each may be misleading, and for this reason a National Survey of Air Pollution has been set up so that in due course valid comparisons will be possible.