Evidence of pre-industrial air pollution from the Heads of the Kings of Juda statues from Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris

Pollution originating from wood combustion characterised the urban atmospheres of the past and led to the formation of thin grey crusts on the surface of the stone of monuments. The grey crusts discovered on the Heads of the Kings of Juda statues, which adorned the facade of Notre Dame in Paris from the 13th century until 1792, constitute a material record of the effects of this ancient air pollution. The height at which the statues stood suggests that the effect was not the result of a point phenomenon, but was caused by a generalised pollution of the Paris atmosphere at the time.