The burning of coal and wood, and the presence of many horses in concentrated areas made the cities the cesspools of pollution. The Industrial Revolution brought an infusion of untreated chemicals and wastes into local streams that served as the water supply. King Edward I of England banned the burning of sea-coal by proclamation in London in 1272, after its smoke became a problem.[4][5] But the fuel was so common in England that this earliest of names for it was acquired because it could be carted away from some shores by the wheelbarrow.
It was the industrial revolution that gave birth to environmental pollution as we know it today. London also recorded one of the earlier extreme cases of water quality problems with the Great Stink on the Thames of 1858, which led to construction of the London sewerage system soon afterward. Pollution issues escalated as population growth far exceeded view ability of neighborhoods to handle their waste problem. Reformers began to demand sewer systems, and clean water.[6]
In 1870, the sanitary conditions in Berlin were among the worst in Europe. August Bebel recalled conditions before a modern sewer system was built in the late 1870s:
"Waste-water from the houses collected in the gutters running alongside the curbs and emitted a truly fearsome smell. There were no public toilets in the streets or squares. Visitors, especially women, often became desperate when nature called. In the public buildings the sanitary facilities were
Water pollution before the Gilden Age greatly impacted public health, but it was often ignored until progressives pushed for change. Sewage was the biggest factor in water pollution, and it “was primarily a public health problem, but it also damaged private property, recreation and fisheries”. The lack of waste disposal caused many people to be infected with diseases which led to progressive policies being formed to fix the issue of water pollution. In 1899, The Rivers and Harbor Act was passed which prohibited the discharge of waste into navigable waters, and the sanitation of water greatly improved after epidemiologists found the negative effects of waste disposal. The improvement of the sanitation of water impacted public health by decreasing deadly outbreaks of diseases like cholera.
The tap water started smelling like sulfur and chlorine, and came in different color like urine and rust. This created many health concerns within the community, where
Cultural context in ‘Playing Beatie Bow’ cleanliness/sanitation was a big part of everyday life in the 1870’s and
It was rare for a shower or bath even once a week. Doctors’ visits were limited to those who could afford it and that was a slim few. Such luxuries and a bath were even more rare when it came to those where were homeless and out of the job. European job opportunities were very few if any. It was extremely hard for many to scrape by and survive.
Sanitation was a problem in homes and public places. Many women lived in tenement houses and for this reason, women had difficulty cleaning and caring for the house. (Doc C) Basements were damp, stairways certainly weren’t fireproof, and finding untainted food was a large issue for people who lived in tenements. (Doc C) Factories were also filthy. Meat factories had meat falling onto the floor onto dirt and sawdust.
Chapter Ten Bernauer to Treptow After work two days later, Lena and Christoph led me to an area of East Berlin that was considerably more run down than Mitte or Pankow. I had to stay positive. I had no choice. The woman who owned the flat was Frau Genau. Those who knew her called her Mama G.
“A painting showing an early factory plant shows that the smoke rising from the factory was black and full of coal ashes, affecting the air. Also, because the factory is next to water, it can be assumed that the factory has dumped into this water, causing it also to become polluted”(Document 3). Yes, wonderful products came from these factories; things like clothing and cars, but coal was being used to power these machines that produced. Black coal ash rose up into the sky and was being breathed in by the people and animals. Coal is not the best thing for people’s lungs.
This made the odor bad as well as a health risk. Private monopolies in utility companies were created. This resulted in a law to regulate the rate a utility company could charge. The cities did not have safe water or sewer systems. Not only were the living conditions bad, but working conditions were just as bad if not worse.
(Document E) This meant that almost all year they were dirty and filthy, and hygiene can help prevent illnesses if you take care of your body. To conclude, people in medieval Europe didn’t take care
Jane Addam’s book, Twenty Years at Hull House, describes the work her and her colleagues did in their Settlement house on the West Side of Chicago. Jane Addams was a pioneer of social work who focused much of her efforts in working with immigrant populations and those in need, along with working to make change at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels. This paper will address the ways she went about creating change, the American values that guided her social work, along with ways that the principles and values of her work are still ones used today in social work. Jane Addams and Ellen Star opened Hull house on September 18, 1889. Her inspiration for Hull house was spawned by her visit to the London settlement house, Toynbee Hall.
Because so many people were forced to live in one common area, the buildings would be inflicted with unsanitary conditions. These included poor plumbing and a lack of running water. Larson referenced the fact that people in the community would dump waste into the city’s water supply, which contributed to the spread of sickness and disease and went untreated because of limited access to healthcare. The city’s insufficient sanitation systems led to diseases like Typhus and Cholera running rampant through the city, infecting many.
In addition, the pollution spread into the water as well, all the waste within the factory had to be removed. Instead of properly disposing of the waste, it was dumped in the rivers. By doing this it contaminated the river, causing people to become ill. “As countries industrialized, they also urbanized. This was a result of people moving to cities in large numbers in order to gain factory jobs” (Document 6).
During an era in which London’s municipal government had no clue on how to run a metropolis, which led to environmental and health conflicts. Many downs happened in the environment which threatened to wipe out London’s human population. Some of them were that Londoners began to use more water than ever before. The cities plumbing system wasn't advance enough to resist the countless of water being used, meaning that sewers often overflowed. Also, London’s population was extremely growing, and corpses were being buried in wastelands.
The Industrial Era transformed biological power to mechanical power and enabled transportation and communication for workers. Immigrants moved to cities to create a better life for themselves by applying jobs for example. With a huge increase of population, maintaining a clean environment was seldom fulfilled. In The Jungle, Upton Sinclair addressed the lack of sanitation in the 1900s through his depiction of the cities, factories, and tenements. To begin, Sinclair focuses the lack of sanitation in cities like Packingtown, Chicago.
Rivers that passed through urban areas became a holder for human waste products. Factories began releasing pollutants directly into rivers and streams. By the 1850’s inhabitants began experiencing epidemics of cholera and typhoid. In 1969, chemical waste releasaed into Ohio’s Cuyahoga River caused it to burn into flames and the waterway became a symbol of how insutrial pollution was destroying America’s natural resources. Aditionally, mining activties also affected water pollution by increasing the amount of toxic elements released into the environment.