1939 St. Louis Smog - The Problem of Pollution Control

The Problem of Pollution Control

Smoke pollution had been a problem in St. Louis for many decades prior to the event, due to the large-scale burning of bituminous (soft) coal to provide heat and power for homes, businesses and transport. In 1893, the Council passed an ordinance prohibiting the emission of "thick grey smoke within the corporate limits of St. Louis" but was unable to enforce it because of legal action taken by one of the worst corporate offenders. The effectiveness of laws was also limited by the lack of adequate inspection and enforcement. In 1933, the Mayor created a "citizen smoke committee" and appointed his personal secretary Raymond Tucker to take charge of efforts to improve air quality.

Early efforts had relied on education such as teaching people how to build cleaner fires – but this had almost no impact. It was soon realised that real improvement would only come about by switching to a cleaner fuel – gas, oil, coke, or anthracite were all considered but ruled out on cost grounds. The alternative was to wash and size the existing soft coal to make it burn hotter and cleaner, and ensure that all coal sold in St. Louis was of this variety. In February 1937 a Smoke Ordinance was passed creating a "Division of Smoke Regulation in the Department of Public Safety", forcing larger businesses to burn only clean coal and setting standards for smoke emission and inspection. By 1938 emissions from commercial smokestacks had been reduced by 2/3.

Despite some improvement, smoke pollution was still a visible problem since the new law did not cover smaller businesses and domestic users – 97% of homes still used coal. The city council was reluctant to pass further legislation that might alienate voters so the Mayor's "enforcer", Raymond R. Tucker, was limited to using persuasion through the press and radio broadcasts. One newspaper in particular, the St. Louis Post Dispatch, became notable for its campaign to persuade residents of the benefits of switching to cleaner forms of coal.