AIR POLLUTION HISTORY with some interest in the ANCIENT MEDITERRANEAN
Peter Brimblecombe School of Environmental Sciences University of East Anglia Norwich NR4 7TJ UK PAN’SPAN’S TRAVAILTRAVAIL J. Donald Hughes John Hopkins University Press (1993) z Overgrazing, deforestation erosion z Hunting and fishing – depletion z Industrial technology and damage z Agricultural decline z Urban problems AGRICULTURALAGRICULTURAL DECLINEDECLINE z Earth growing old z Rejected by Columella: - fertilizers z Fallow fields z Erosion z Climate change in late Roman times z Water supply WATERWATER FORFOR LARSALARSA Stanley D. Walters, 3000 Yale University Press, 1970 2500 Barley yield
2000 a
l/h 1500 ild e Y z Southern Iraq: 1000
gradual reduction in the 500
cultivation of salt-sensitive 0 wheat, replaced by salt- 2100BC 2100BC 1700BC tolerant barley vanished by 1700BC
Jacobsen and Adams, Science128, 1252 (1958) AIR:AIR: LIFELIFE ANDAND DEATHDEATH
“His smoke went up to the sky…"
Gilgameš, c.1.8.1.4
air related to life… but also to death SUMERIAN/BABYLONIANSUMERIAN/BABYLONIAN ATTITUDESATTITUDES TOWARDSTOWARDS SMOKESMOKE myDon't mood cause and the heart. oven As in ifa duringman's house the night to watch ……likesmoke… excrement.…… it will ruin the bread. my countenance like smoke. A hymnProverbs: to Inana fromfor Nibru: Išme-Dagan: c.6.2.1 c.2.5.4.
Temple of Inana RELIGIOUSRELIGIOUS CONTEXTSCONTEXTS z Typically religions see a relation between cleanliness and closeless to God z Hence pollution and defilement often linked…
Mary Douglas: Purity and Danger - an analysis of concepts of pollution and taboo (1966) VICTORYVICTORY STELASTELA OF KINGKING PIANKHI
“Ur was a stench to the nose for lack of air to breathe and threw itself on its belly…”
Seige of Hermopolis 734 BC
TEXT ASTYNOMOIASTYNOMOI z In Aristotle’s Athenian Politics - duties of the astymomoi who are responsible among other things for rubbish to be deposited beyond city walls AIRAIR ANDAND HEALTHHEALTH z The Hippocratic Corpus had linked air and health z Vitruvius on Architecture sought the proper location of dwellings SMOKESMOKE LIKELIKE WATERWATER z Urban servitudes z Roman nuisance law treated neighbourly behaviour z Smoke often treated like water… you could no more let water drain across a house than smoke LEGISLATINGLEGISLATING THETHE URBANURBAN ENVIRONMENTENVIRONMENT z Sextus Julius Frontinus (Curator Aquarum) z Improved Rome's water improved the air (miasmatic theory) z Rise of the professional administrator z Moving industry (glass making) to suburbs
“Gravioris caeli…” “Infamis aer…”
Frontinus The Aqueducts of Rome BLACKENNEDBLACKENNED BUILDINGSBUILDINGS
DELICTA MAJORUM.
Your fathers' guilt you still must pay, Till, Roman, you restore each shrine, Each temple, mouldering in decay, And smoke-grimed statue, scarce divine
Odes and Carmen Saeculare Horace ROMANROMAN URBANURBAN ENVIRONMENTENVIRONMENT z Seneca and culinary odours z Loss of suntan z Noise, traffic &tc….
David Bentley (MoLAS /Peter Froste, 1996 EASTERNEASTERN MEDITERRANEANMEDITERRANEAN 11st 22nd CenturiesCenturies z Mishnah Laws called for >50 cubits (~25m) from a polluting source to a neighbour's residence. z The prevailing wind to be considered for tanneries. z Kilns and furnaces not allowed in Jerusalem to avoid soiling of buildings.
Y. Mamane Atmos Env 21, 1861-1863 (1987) RURALRURAL AIRAIR POLLUTIONPOLLUTION
High chimneys required to disperse the air pollutants silver production in Spain (about 7 BC)
Strabo (3.2.8 C142) INDOORINDOOR POLLUTIONPOLLUTION
z The problem is ancient - weapons of Odysseus z Concern is long term e.g. smoky fireplaces ANTHRACOSISANTHRACOSIS SILICOSISSILICOSIS
Archeological evidence shows air pollutants in the lungs of mummies PLEUROSYPLEUROSY ININ ROMANROMAN TIMESTIMES z Rib lesions: evidence of indoor pollution from burning vegetable matter lamp oils at Herculaneum
Lancet 356, 1774 (2000) L. Capasso SINUSITISSINUSITIS
Common in Saxon times
Often related to lack of chimneys CLASSICALCLASSICAL REVIVALREVIVAL ANDAND EASTERNEASTERN TRADITIONSTRADITIONS z Hippocratic tradition maintained z Al-Razi 850-925: Hung meat throughout Bhagdad to assess site of hospital z at Tamĭni of Jerusalem (932-1000) Survival Materials Treating Air Spoilage and Avoiding Dangers of Epidemics z Ibm al-Qayyim (-1350) Prophetical Medicine – stench and putrefaction related to disease Preoccupation with organic contaminants
L Gari, Hamdard 30, 40-48 (1987), also S.K. Hamarneh MEDIEVALMEDIEVAL ENGLANDENGLAND z Fuedal society at its height in 13th century z London an active capital z Fast developing law under Edward I 12 AIRAIR POLLUTIONPOLLUTION INCIDENTSINCIDENTS
BIG CHANGE LATE 13TH C 9 Royal proclamations in 1285, 1288, 1306 s nt
de 6 i c n I 3
0
0 0 0 0 00 0 0 0 3 40 1 1 15 16 17 FUELFUEL FORFOR MAKINGMAKING CEMENTCEMENT z Building at Westminster 1253 Henry III ordered oak brushwood
z Order of 23 July 1264 “purvey for the King in London… a boat load of sea-coal” PRESSURESPRESSURES TOTO CHANGECHANGE FUELFUEL 30 Wood Coal
20 e nc pe 10
0
s s s s s s s s s s 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 50 60 9 0 1 2 3 40 2 2 27 28 1 1 1 1 12 13 13 13 13 13 POLLUTIONPOLLUTION 3000
SEASONSSEASONS c1300c1300 Lime/tonne 2000
Summer building works: 1000 extensive production of lime
0 JFMAMJJASOND
Air pollution incidents 2506 mostly in summer Incidents 200 Smoke 4 today 150
100 In 1950s smoke a winter 2 problem - household heating 50
00 JFJFMMAAMMJJJAJASSOONNDD POLLUTIONPOLLUTION SOCIALSOCIAL CONTEXTCONTEXT c1300c1300
Problems near the River Fleet z Professionals Earl of Lincoln John de Cobbeham z Coal use z Odour z Hang the polluters? CHIMNEYCHIMNEY HEIGHTSHEIGHTS
“… the chimney is lower by 12 feet than it should be…. And the stench of smoke from the sea-coal used in the forge penetrates their hall and chambers so that (earnings drop to a third)”
London Assize of Nuisance (1301-1431) BLACKSMITHSBLACKSMITHS z A group of black smiths in 14th century London thought that sea- coal should not be burnt at night
Cal Early Mayor’s Court Rolls YORKYORK 13811381 Dyers Bakers Tanners Butchers
Metal workers z Poll Tax establishes Chandlers Glaziers, Tilers industrial locations z Extramurality z Annual wood use 4 ug/m3 S S O F O U S E 12 AIRAIR POLLUTIONPOLLUTION INCIDENTSINCIDENTS
9 s nt
de 6 i c n I 3
0
0 0 0 0 00 0 0 0 3 40 1 1 15 16 17 WilliamWilliam LAUDLAUD z Losing you head over air pollutants z boring or brewing SirSir KenelmeKenelme DIGBYDIGBY “Coal hath… volatile salt very sharp…” Van Dyck dissapated to atoms in smoke A Discourse on Sympathetic Powder 1658
Alkali atoms
Acid atoms MargaretMargaret CAVENDISHCAVENDISH -- thethe ornamentornament ofof EnglandEngland
“Why that a coale should set a house on fire Is, Atomes sharpe are in that coale entire Being strong armed with Points, do quite pierce through; Those flat dull Atoms, and their forms undo.”
Poems and Fancies 1653 JohnJohn EVELYNEVELYN
Robert Walker 1648 z Diarist, gardener and environmentalist z Fumifugium 1661 z Many schemes to improve London and its air Weekly observations JohnJohn GRAUNTGRAUNT && 6 Great DEATHDEATH byby FOGFOG Fogs 4 Fogs
The winter of 1679 2
Deaths very high after 0 weeks of fog 800 De aths 600 Especially from tisick and 400 among elderly
200 r r e e er b b b o m m ct e O ece Nov D POVERTYPOVERTY ANDAND POLLUTIONPOLLUTION LESSONSLESSONS FROMFROM HISTORYHISTORY
z Fuel use/change a dominant control z Local nuisance regulation z Health dominates over aesthetics z Problems emerge, reach some kind of crisis and then decline to be overtaken by others z Control measures chimney heights and zoning z Professionalisation z Nationalisation THE END
Peter Brimblecombe School of Environmental Sciences University of East Anglia Norwich NR4 7TJ UK