It takes your breath away: air pollution : a human problem
- Author(s):
- Catterall, Mary, screenwriter
- Contributor(s):
- Martin, Bryan, writer of added commentary British Medical Association. Film Library, issuing body. British Life Assurance Trust for Health Education, issuing body.
- Publication:
- [London] : British Medical Association, 1964
- Language(s):
- English
- Format:
- Moving image
- Subject(s):
- Lung Diseases -- etiology Air Pollution -- adverse effects Environmental Health England
- Genre(s):
- Documentaries and Factual Films
- Abstract:
- Intended for professional medical audiences at the time it was made, this film graphically illustrates the human impact of polluted air in industrial northern England, particularly Leeds, in the 1950s and 1960s. Following the "Great Smog" of 1952, which led to about 30,000 deaths in the country, industry and government made efforts to shift away from coal-burning and other pollution-generating activities, and to clean up the built and natural environments. The United Kingdom passed a Clean Air Act in 1956 and conditions slowly improved. This film presents evocative footage of grimy city centers, homes, and public spaces, and notes the difference in attention paid to the members of Social Class 1, who are in higher income brackets, and Social Class 5, who tend to live in neglected industrial areas that are more in need of pollution remediation but are less likely to get it. Pollution's effect on the lungs is briefly shown on pathological specimens. A social worker visits a man in his fifties who can breathe only with great difficulty due to chronic bronchitis
- Copyright:
- This item may be under copyright protection; contact the copyright owner for permission before re-use.
- Extent:
- 013 min.
- Color:
- Black and white
- Sound:
- Sound
- Provenance:
- Gift; Angela Saward, Wellcome Collection; 20200615; Acc# 2020-03.
- Technique:
- Live action
- NLM Unique ID:
- 101771068 (See catalog record)
- OCLC no.:
- 1192548607
- Permanent Link:
- http://resource.nlm.nih.gov/101771068