Reassessment of the lethal London fog of 1952: Novel indicators of acute and chronic consequences of acute exposure to air pollution

This article develops and assesses novel indicators of respiratory and othe r morbidity and mortality following London's lethal smog in the winter of 1 952. Public health insurance claims, hospital admission rates for cardiac a nd respiratory disease, pneumonia cases, mortality records, influenza repor ts, temperature, and air pollutant concentrations are analyzed for December -February 1952-1953 and compared with those for the previous year or years. Mortality rates for the smog episode from December 1952 to February 1953 w ere 50-300% higher than the previous year. Claims that the smog only elevat ed health risks during and immediately following the peak fog 5-9 December 1952 and that an influenza epidemic accounted fully for persisting mortalit y increases in the first 2 months of 1953 are rejected. We estimate about 1 2,000 excess deaths occurred from December 1952 through February 1953 becau se of acute and persisting effects of the 1952 London smog. Pollution level s during the London smog were 5-19 times above current regulatory standards and guidelines and approximate current levels in some rapidly developing r egions. Ambient pollution in many regions poses serious risks to public hea lth.