Smog

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Smog is the combination of smoke and fog under special weather conditions might stay for extended times over densely populated cities, such as London, Los Angeles, Athens or the Ruhr area. The word smog is a portmanteau word constructed from the words smoke and fog.

Smog is caused by the exhaust of fossil fuel engines, the emmitance of volatile organic compounds from paints and solvents, chemicals from pesticides and other chemical reactions and industrial processes. Smog can form in almost every climate, but is far worse in the warmer months.

Smogs became common in London in the late 19th Century and were nicknamed as "pea-soupers". From 8 December, 1952 to March 1953 poisonous smog darkened the skies over London, and killed approximately 12,000 Londoners. Reluctant to admit coal smoke was to blame, the British government at first blamed a flu epidemic. In 1956 the Clean Air Act introduced smokeless zones to the capital. In these areas, only smokeless fuels could be used. As a consequence, the reduction in sulphur dioxide levels made the intense and persistent London smogs a thing of the past. However smogs caused by traffic pollution do still occur in the capital today.

Smog is still a problem in a number of cities and continues to end lives prematurely. Many local governments are still unwilling to accept the realities of smog.