What were the environmental problems in the 1880's?

Answer 1

Lets look at London England as a good example of urban pollution in the early 1800's.

* There are few automobiles so exhaust fumes are not a problem. However there are lots of horses and horses mean manure. The manure has two impacts - it smells on its own and as it dries and gets ground into dust it floats in the air. Everything is coated with powdered manure. * London is cold city so homes must to be heated, and meals have to be cooked. Industry needs power for boilers. The fuel of choice is coal. Coal means soot and lots of sulfur dioxide in the air. The frequent fogs combine with the smoke to create low clouds of acidic mist loaded with carcinogenic particles. * The industries in the City include renderers, blood boilers and soap makers - each of these is a source of pungent odours. There are also platers, photographers and hatters releasing Mercury vapour, a deadly toxin. Emission controls are a thing of the distant future. * Solid and liquid wastes are dumped into the sewers or directly into the river. With no sewage treatment it doesn't matter, everything goes to the Thames

* The crowds of people are interesting too. Personal hygiene like frequent bathing is not all that popular, sewage is left standing in pit privies, garbage collection is hit or miss. There is a miasma of human aromas to contend with. Rats, fleas and other vermin abound.

* Groundwater is contaminated with sewage so peole are made sick by the water they drink Now lets look at agricultural areas:

* Animal wastes were allowed to flow into streams * Plowing did not follow the contour of the land so soil erosion was increased * Forests were burned to free up and for farms * Animals (bison, passenger pigeons) were hunted to extinction * Foreign plant and animals were imported without concern for ecological impact * Swamps were drained