Smog

The term smog was introduced by Harold Antoine Des Voeux in 1905. A member of the Coal Smoke Abatement Society in London, Des Voeux coined the term to describe the combination of smoke and fog that was visible in several cities throughout Great Britain. During the early 1900s, smog was applied to the emissions resulting from the burning of coal and other raw materials. During that time, coal was used primarily for generating energy, and raw materials were burned to produce chemicals such as soda ash for use in consumable products including soap, detergents, and glass. The smoke resulting from the combustion of coal and raw materials in British industrial cities mixed with fog from the North Sea. These pollutant episodes were characterized by an ...