City living

Going from Birmingham to London in 1960 we noticed that our petticoats, full length white nylon ( some of you may remember!) became grubby far sooner. College was in a leafy part of Brum and we were teaching in Camberwell and Stoke Newington. Our flat was in Peckham by the Southern Electric station. Must ask friend whose school in leafier Dulwich about hers!

I do remember the thick smog peasoupers of the early 60s, buses stopped running and you groped your way home with a scarf over your nose and mouth. Sure nostrils were sooty then!

I will suggest that to her Grannyknot.

Just to say that in my last post, I asked gransnet HQ to withdraw it , as I was being a bit too specific.
Basically it said that she is a relative newbie, but has lived in a couple of different parts of London. And I will ask her, if the different parts made any difference to the dirt.

It's not worth a doctor's trip! It's just plain old dirt. She should smear a Vaseline barrier across the end of her nose and her nostrils.

We spent a week in London last year seeing the sights and I did notice that, after a day out and about, on the tubes and walking, my hair was (and felt) dirty. And clothes seemed grubbier. I just put it down to the traffic and tube trains stirring up the dust and dirt.

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Soon if you read that article, you will see that it is full of observations about the presence of certain particles in the atmosphere of the London Underground. There is no suggestion that these particles cause black deposits in people's noses, far less that they are related to disease.
The important paragraphs are the last few, which I imagine that the Daily Fail, having frightened everyone to death with a non-story, had to include for legal reasons:
Quote:
'But Howard Collins, London Underground Chief Operating Officer, said: 'We have carried out monitoring of dust levels on the Tube for many years to re-assure our passengers and staff.

'That research has consistently shown that mineral levels within the dust are perfectly safe and that dust levels are less than a third of the limit set by the Health and Safety Executive for general dust.

'That standard remains the level required by the Health and Safety Executive and would be amended if they felt there was any danger to our passengers or staff.

“This is supported by an independent report from the Institute of Occupational Medicine, which concluded tunnel dust on London Underground is highly unlikely to be dangerous.

'It is clearly wrong to attempt to draw any conclusions about London Underground from this new research that studies one station elsewhere in Europe.'

My DD certainly experienced this when she first moved to the 'Big Smoke'. Maybe people's nasal mucosa becomes so black with constant exposure its only new people who notice it?

hmm. I figured it couldnt be widespread, else everyone would have talked about it, and presumably something would have been done.

I am not 100% sure it is due to the underground. But I think it is.

There is the one study as far as I can see
www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2314123/Travelling-Tube-bad-health-air-rich-toxic-dust.html
but it seems a bit inconclusive.

Perhaps she ought to visit the doctor just in case. But that might seem a bit silly, hence the thread.

I've never noticed this. Either when I worked there, or now, when I go into town.

Or some tube lines worse than others?

Perhaps it is certain tube lines?

... but I live in leafy, open SW London and I don't go into town much.

When I first came to live and work in London, I often experienced that (black sooty stuff in my nostrils). It doesn't seem to happen now.

I would have said that was an issue when I lived in London 30 years ago, but vehicle emissions legislation these days must have made a difference as I don't notice it when I've had a day in town.

I've lived and worked in London all my life and to my knowledge I've never had black dust in my nose. Very strange if you ask me.

Oh I just remembered once when I was at school 100yrs ago we had a 'pea souper' and then I did get a black nose..