On the Awareness of and Attitude toward the London Smog among 19th-Century

Abstract

"Since the Industrial Ｒevolution，the production and life-style of Britain transformed London into a city of smog. Yet，except for some doctors，specialists，and upper-mid-class citizens，the majority of the British people deemed it a common，even healthy，phenomenon. Their social awareness of and attitude toward the smog changed with the development of science and the passage of time. At first，smog was only considered inconvenient and uncomfortable; people put more emphasis on the possible negative social and moral effects of a blurred atmosphere. Later，people realized that the smog was detrimental to animals and plants，and was corrosive to objects. This finally led to the awareness of its fatal physiological effects on human body. Hence，British people's awareness of and attitude toward pollution were formed and changed gradually."