自蒸汽机推动英国工业革命以来，城市煤烟污染问题日益严峻。为此，英国社会各界不断寻求解决的途径，其中控制煤烟污染的立法是非常重要的一环。19世纪以来，英国一直尝试着进行煤烟减排立法，1926年通过的《公共卫生（减烟）法》，就是这种立法尝试努力的结果。它对英国范围内的商用排烟，有了相对清晰的界定以及处罚措施，在应对工业社会的煤烟污染方面取得了一定的成效；它用全国性立法来治理空气污染，使煤烟污染治理有了法律的依据，给未来的类似立法创造了先例。

The problem of urban coal smoke pollution had become increasingly serious since the steam engine drove the industrial revolution in Britain. All the British society looked for solutions, within which the smoke abatement legislation was very important. The Public Health(Smoke Abatement) Act of 1926 was the result of the efforts to introduce legislation to reduce smoke emissions in the UK since the 19^th century. It had a relatively clear definition and punishment measures for commercial smoke emission in the UK, and had made some achievements in dealing with coal smoke pollution in the industrial society. It used national legislation to control air pollution, which provided a legal basis for smoke abatement and set a precedent for similar legislation in the future.