... of coal was linked with increased death rates, although this was not reliably proven until 20th Century. The late 18th and 19th Century brought the Industrial Revolution. In industrial cities such as Manchester, pollution was viewed as a small price to pay in the name of progress. Smoke meant jobs; it was a nuisance to be endured. The old Yorkshire phrase 'where there's muck, there's brass' sums up the Victorian attitude to industrial pollution. Insignificant progress was made in reforming air pollution legislation until the 20th century. 1863 saw the introduction of the Alkali Act, which required factories to control noxious vapours. The act underwent statutory evolution; in 1882 a Royal Commission stated the measures did not have to be implicated if it heralded ruinous expenditure for the employer. The act was finalised in 1906, and was left untouched until 1975. It was disaster that eventually brought true reform and ...

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