[Report 1968] / Medical Officer of Health, Chorley Borough.

  • Chorley (England). Borough Council
Date:
1968
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1968] / Medical Officer of Health, Chorley Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    33/74 (page 29)
    29- 1. CLEAI^ AIR (a) GENERA]. The Clean Air Act, 1956 and the Regulations made thereunder give local authorities powers and duties for the prevention of air pollution, providing for the limitation of emissions of dark smoke; certain controls over the installation of new furnaces; requirements to minimise grit and dust emission; control over new chimney heights; smoke control areas; research and publicity; and the making of build- ing regulations. Attention continued to be given to the industrial aspects of clean air during the year and further improvement was noted in its overall effects. Some thirty smoke observations were carried out and of these 28 proved to be satisfactory. Sixt^? visits were made to industrial premises regarding the emission of smoke, installation of new plant, plant alterations and the erection or demolition of chimneys. I am pleased to report that management has again been generally co-operative in this field, for problems relative to the subjects involved are time consuming. A singularly important event of the year was the replacement of our own 19th century steam boiler by a modern automatic oil fired package boiler which now enables the Department to set a good example to other fuel users. The subject of smoke control areas has not yet been fully invest- igated although a survey is in progress concerned with a number of environmental problems, including that of clean air. I am pleased to be able to say that in the course of this survey support for a domestic smoke control policy from the householders in the Borough was not entirely lacking. However towards the end of the year all authorities in the North West were asked to consider the question of cleaning up the atmosphere and that they might use the present difficult period in the economy to make plans for the future. It may however be that a start could be made with areas of impending residential developement where clean air and the efficient use of fuel would be welcomed. (b) INVESTIGATION OF AIR POLLUTION The Department continues to participate in the Investigation of Air Pollution in co-operation with the Ministry of Technology bj' an apparatus measuring the average daily <^ount of smoke and sulphur- dioxide in the air. The follov/ing graph shows the average daily values per month for I968.