[Report 1972] / Medical Officer of Health, West Bromwich County Borough.

  • West Bromwich (England). County Borough Council.
Date:
1972
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1972] / Medical Officer of Health, West Bromwich County Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    extensively on the aspects of the environmental health, so I will limit my remarks to certain points that seem of particular importance. He comments on the reduction of smoke and sulphur and it is gratifying to note this improvement. Nevertheless, atmospheric pollution remains a major problem in West Bromwich, and, as is pointed out, a reduction in smoke permits the uncovering of other pollutants. Few facts are known about the level of pollution by chemicals — especially metals — and the ascertainment of the facts on these and other pollut¬ ants seems the next step in the control of atmospheric pollution. Reference is made to pollution by odour — an acute problem in West Bromwich in need of technological solution as well as administrative action. It is essential to have information that shows the level of pollution at different times and in different parts of the Borough. Such “monitoring” is expensive; it needs staff and laboratory examin¬ ations (some quite complex). To ameliorate pollution it is essential to establish its whereabouts and extent, to uncover unknown hazards and to assess the amount and frequency of known cases. The improvement of houses is welcome but houses in multi¬ occupation remain a problem. The problem of noise is receiving increasing attention and this again is a field in which measurements are needed on which action may subsequently be based. The whole report shows how the public health inspector needs increasingly more scientific knowledge. He cannot however be an expert on so wide a variety of subjects and needs support. Moreover laboratory support is vital. At present through the Public Health Laboratory Service he has access freely to expert microbiology help of a high order, arranged on a national basis. On the chemical and physical side this does not exist on the same scale — there arc of course Public Analysts for Food and Drugs but expert assistance is equally necessary, through a full range of chemical and physical laboratories. Chemical investigations are as important as microbiological and equally complex in some cases. A need exists for a co-ordinated expert system of Public Health chemical and physical laboratories on a national scale.