London Pollution

PapaLazaru · 23 Jan 2017 at 06:39

My nasal receptors used to start stinging on bad days. That is one thing I won't miss now I live in the sticks.

Sankari · 23 Jan 2017 at 06:41

Pollution in London was a real shock to me. The stench and the eye-watering grime were just overpowering.

Kreeeee · 23 Jan 2017 at 06:44

Sankari · 23 Jan 2017 at 07:00

Kreeeee said:
Just like how smokers never realise they stink, you just won't notice.

London is a filthy place, and I couldn't imagine living there and raising children in such a polluted environment.

Blow your nose after being on the tube and see what colour your snot is.

^^ This.

If you live elsewhere and only visit London occasionally, it's a big shock every time.

If you live in London and only visit elsewhere occasionally, you'll become acclimatised to it.

Em3bbs · 23 Jan 2017 at 07:14

Kreeeee said:
Blow your nose after being on the tube and see what colour your snot is.

This has improved a lot over the years, I really used to notice it but only seem to get it now if I travel on the bakerloo line. I don't seem to get it on my daily commute from Paddington to the city.

moon man · 23 Jan 2017 at 07:36

get that around these parts with people using wood burners and farmers burning stuff )but its not killing us like living in the big citys

Kuros · 23 Jan 2017 at 08:09

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-38673310

Seems like it was a bad weekend to go (although, it's always quite bad in london, I remember an article a couple of days ago saying that the annual maximum polution level had been hit in two weeks).

(Correction, it was within the first 5 days of the year)

CREATIVE!11 · 23 Jan 2017 at 08:13

Raymond Lin said:
Try stick your finger wrapped in tissues up your nose and twist.

London....

Home of the black boogers.

Efour · 23 Jan 2017 at 08:14

People complaining that humans natural air filter doing its job, what next?

XeNoN89 · 23 Jan 2017 at 08:21

It was bad end of last week as well, went out for Lunch and could smell it in the air and feel it in the back of my throat

Sankari · 23 Jan 2017 at 08:24

Rifte · 23 Jan 2017 at 08:40

I had every intention of showing the AQI of the city I mainly reside in India (Ahmedabad) and show you guys that London isnt that bad at all in comparison. Seems I was massively wrong (although according to this we did hit 270+ yesterday).

London is a lot worse than I thought it would be for a developed country.

Orionaut · 23 Jan 2017 at 08:49

Evangelion said:
^^ This.

If you live elsewhere and only visit London occasionally, it's a big shock every time.

If you live in London and only visit elsewhere occasionally, you'll become acclimatised to it.

Funnily enough, I have been up to London a couple of times over the last few months after not having done so for for over a decade and I was struck by the complete opposite.

I am stunned at how clean and un-smelly it is. Even on the busiest of thoroughfares there is barely a whiff of vehicle fumes (I walked from Waterloo to the Strand) and the clarity of the air as you look up and down the Thames from the middle of Waterloo bridge gives the view a strange impression of unreality.

When I hear people moaning on about how bad the pollution is, I struggle to understand what they are babbling on about!

(For somebody who lives in a Village that, the core of which, would probably fit on Waterloo bridge with room to spare and only rarely travels to cities, the scale of the place is absolutely breathtaking. But I guess people who experience it day to day just dont appreciate it the same way)

But then guess I have a different base point, I can remember the London of my childhood with engines blowing off steam at Waterloo station, fog that was so thick that you couldn't see the other side of the street (Even after the "clean air act" had been in force for some time) and and where a day in Town resulted in Black shirt-sleeves and collars and a Black Hankie to go them.

Freefaller · 23 Jan 2017 at 09:01

Since moving out of London I've come to appreciate the joy of not living in that polluted place. Though admittedly when I moved from the Med to the UK we went straight to suburbia in London. I do miss being in the Med, but the UK countryside is amazing and hard to beat.

Once they ban diesel cars, and also allow only electric vehicles into London then it'll make a difference. Until then, nothing will change. Unfortunately pedestrianising London won't happen either.

dl8860 · 23 Jan 2017 at 09:13

Just started my half marathon training and I live and will be mostly running in Westminster. RIP body

krooton · 23 Jan 2017 at 09:16

Yesterday did indeed smell of fire smoke (like wood burning), but Saturday was clear and fresh.

wolfie138 · 23 Jan 2017 at 09:26

mate lives in london and has a lung prob [COPD], don't think the air down there helps much. when i was down in July there was a Greenpeace [iirc] poster on the Tube saying the air quality is actually beyond legal limits and asking people to sign a petition or lobby parliament or some such. i guess if they can make a good difference to LA they should be able to sort out "The Smoke".

wnb · 23 Jan 2017 at 10:49

Thought I would look up the AQI for where I live in in Carlisle, it's not that far behind London at 155!

Mahonyy · 23 Jan 2017 at 10:54

Pollution warning sign on the BBC weather app, so no good..

Uther · 23 Jan 2017 at 10:58

Dis86 said:
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.

Exactly this.I notice it every time I have to go in to central London. I'm sure the locals don't notice it any more but it really is a foul place.