2 ms·
I've not lived in London for more than a decade. I always thought the black snot was from the Tube. Is it not?
by glenngillen 1mo ago
I've not lived in London for more than a decade. I always thought the black snot was from the Tube. Is it not?
- lazide 1mo agoIt is, but not just from it.
- nullify88 1mo agoI lived on Upper Street in Angel, London by some traffic lights and there was always a layer of black dust inside. I assumed it was brake particulate.
- walthamstow 1mo agoEvery house inner London is covered in black soot from the days of coal fires. Have you ever seen one after it's been sandblasted?
- sokoloff 1mo agoTire wear was probably a greater source than brake wear.
- walthamstow 1mo agoI've lived in London all my life and I only get black bogeys on days that I've been on the tube. Before COVID that was every day.
- mrec 1mo agoYup, especially on the older lines (Northern, Victoria, Jubilee, Bakerloo). Particulate pollution can be two orders of magnitude higher than at street level. This tends to be glossed over when trumpeting the success of ULEZ measures pushing people away from cars and onto public transport, and I say that as a non-car-owner.
- walthamstow 1mo agoPeople tend to walk 10-15 mins at either end when taking the tube, and will walk more through the day. My understanding is this activity is net positive despite the extra particulates while on the tube. I might be misremembering this with a study I read on cycling in road pollution though
- ifwinterco 1mo agoAlmost certainly some asbestos dust still in there from prior decades as well, the tube is absolutely filthy and never cleaned properly
- TheOtherHobbes 1mo agoIndeed. https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/jul/18/london-underground-passengers-should-know-about-toxic-dust-risks-whistleblower-says https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/jul/18/london-under...
- inigyou 1mo agoJust one more reason to wear an N95 on the Tube.
- Lio 1mo agoOh yeah "tube bogeys" are definitely a thing. Whenever my best mate goes on about having access to "cultural experiences" that I don't have for living in the sticks I remind him it comes at the cost of massive tube bogeys. :P