London Pollution

Felon

Felon

Felon

Soldato
Joined
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Location
Essex
I noticed a strange thing over the weekend - we went out for a stroll around london, we were both wearing brand new clothes.. A few hours later when we got back, whilst we were taking our shoes off I could smell smoke, like i'd been in a bar or at a bonfire - my friend noticed it too.. We hadn't been anywhere near smokers or fires.

The same thing happened again today, went out for a walk with clean fresh clothes, came back stinking of smoke.... we concluded it must be pollution..

Anyone else noticed this?? It's a bit worrying as I'm thinking of moving back to London in the next 6 months or so...
 
I was there on business for a little while last week and I could taste it. Was good to get back up here to some clean air.
 
There have been pollution alerts lately due to the lack of wind taking it away. Or something like that, basically all the pollution is staying put instead of being carried away by the weather.
 
Efour said:
Weird I lived in London 25 years and this never happened
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I originally come from Somerset - moved to London for a few years and noticed it at first but soon got used to it. Then noticed the odour of cow dung moving home again :D
 
What's interesting is that my friend has lived there constantly for 11 years (e1) and never noticed it until yesterday, I lived there for 6 and also didn't notice it until now, it is pretty bad though, for example my underclothing doesn't smell at all - but where th sleeves stick out - they smell like I've been in a smokey bar for a hour or two... my hair also smells of smoke, it's pretty gross..
 
I don't wanna sound too condescending or patronising but don't you think it's pretty obvious a place with pretty much 18h a day bumper to bumper combustion engine, motortraffic will be pretty "dirty" when their is insufficient air flow?

Is this news?

Smoke smells nothing like exhaust fumes btw are you sure it wasn't localised?
 
Efour said:
I don't wanna sound too condescending or patronising but don't you think it's pretty obvious a place with pretty much 18h a day bumper to bumper combustion engine, motortraffic will be pretty "dirty" when their is insufficient air flow?

Is this news?
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Well I just found it surprising that's all.. (we both did) you get used to walking past all the buses and cars, but I honestly never noticed it making my body/clothing smell before, it perhaps is obvious that this would happen but I still found it surprising, Not claiming its news - simply interested to know if anyone else had noticed it :)

It's not exactly like cigarette smoke, it's more like I've been at a bonfire party or something sort of like a mix
 
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I've had that after being on the tube. I think it just picks up some of the smoke from when they used to run steam engines down there.
 
Nanoman said:
Sure it's not just an isolated incident? Near by factory on fire etc.
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I get the odd day where you smell smoke.

As you've said I have just assumed there has been a fire nearby as it always smells of something burning inefficiently.

You also get it when someone with a broken car with smoke pouring out the exhaust drives by.

CO2 from memory is actually odourless?
 
Nanoman said:
Sure it's not just an isolated incident? Near by factory on fire etc.
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Definitely not - happend on both days, we did actually notice it last week but didn't think that much of it, but it seems totally unrelated to where we went, it happened anywhere we went in central London, my first thought was that it was people smoking outside, but tonight there was hardly any of that and it was just as bad as yesterday, when we were shopping on Covent Garden
 
Whenever I have had to visit offices in London I have been able to feel / taste the pollution in the air as soon as I've got off the train. Very noticeable when you live in the sticks. Makes me sneezy and yes lots of black soot in the hose. Horrible.
 
I live on the South Coast and have done for 20+ years, going into a city like that the difference is instantly noticeable.

I sometimes train and walk, but mostly drive to London. The moment I put the roof down all I can feel through my nose when inhaling is exhaust fumes from diesel trucks, buses and the like.

Likewise, if the roof is down all day during the visit, then the inside of the windscreen is often covered in a very fine traffic film of dust that isn't a there if the roof is down for the same timespan on country/coastal roads.

I can't imagine all of that crap is good for the lungs long term.

Edit*
I was actually reading the other day how London air pollution levels exceeded their safe limits multiple times for the year.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/environ...ir-pollution-limit-for-2017-in-just-five-days
 
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Yup it's pretty bad... Once I get to work cycling through London for an hour I blow black cack out of my nose daily.. it's very unhealthy and I'd love to leave this place. But not yet.
 
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