1955 - Environment

Environment

The London Clean Air Act passed in October bans the burning of untreated coal to prevent a recurrence of the killer smog of 1952 and save an estimated $4.5 million per year to repair the corrosion damage and clean up the 75,000 tons of soot that rained down on the city. The new law will permit 80 percent more sunshine to reach London, birds will return, grass grow, churches and other buildings be cleaned and returned to their original white stone appearance for the first time in centuries as workers remove soot packed up to nine inches deep (see 1956).