The matter has come to a head in Australia, where, wood smoke accumulates in many Australian towns and cities during the winter months, contributing to chronic and sometimes deadly health issues among residents. The issues that arise constitute an evolving issue of societal health risk that need to be addressed, but the necessary regulatory and control steps are often not supported by public opinion. For example, reliance on wood burning is common not only in Asia and Africa, but also in exurban areas of North America and in many parts of Europe, particularly Central Europe (Chafe et al. The areas of the world affected are not limited to countries with limited resources. The latter are becoming increasingly important as medical studies continue to reveal new risks due to both short-term exposure and to long-term accumulated damage (Capistrano et al.
As in London in 1952, the smoke emissions from these activities are offensive both for their visible presence and their health impacts. Despite awareness of the dangers of coal smoke prior to 1952, smoke abatement campaigners were met with opposition, and government authorities were slow to impose tight restrictions on smoke emissions.ĭemands for heat in remote areas of the world are commonly satisfied by using local fuels – mostly wood but sometimes coal, peat, or other combustibles. In 1952, domestic and industrial coal fires blanketed thick smoke across London for just over four days, contributing up to 12,000 deaths in the immediate weeks and months afterwards. Insights obtained from the London event of 1952, together with more recent research results, are applied to the Australian situation to suggest policy options that are likely to be successful in overcoming the health effects of particulate pollution. Implications: The contemporary attitudes and behaviour of the government and the population in rural and regional Australia are shown to have a strong resemblance to those that were prevalent prior to the smog events in London in December 1952. Insights obtained from the London events, together with more recent research results, are applied to the Australian situation to suggest policy options that are likely to be successful in overcoming the health effects of particulate pollution. Wood smoke poses similar significant health issues in many countries. In this article, the contemporary attitudes and behaviour of the government and the population in rural and regional Australia are shown to have a strong resemblance to those that were prevalent prior to the smog events in London in December 1952. Nevertheless, where measurements have been made, particulates have been shown to be the major type of air pollution, and they do reach levels expected to impact on human health. An image of crystal clear skies seems to dominate general perceptions, and few locations actually monitor air pollution levels. There is a certain complacency about air pollution in rural towns in Australia.
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