London air quality in November

vermin

I have lived with perfectly managable asthma for the last 30 years and, whilst I always have to carry the blue everywhere I go and invariably require its support when excercising, I could count on the fingers of one hand the number of times I've been properly distressed by it.

Last night, however, following a month of being unable to push myself physically at all without running out of breath, I found myself in the A&E ward at Kings, on a ventilator and being pumped full of seroids, having almost completely lost the ability to breath (I'm ok again now, although the cocktail of drugs has left me feeling like I've just had one of those dull mornings at work when you while away the hours by unwittingly sinking ten coffees).

Once I was 'back in the room' the doctor explained that I was about the 50th asthma patient in A&E that day, and the x-hundredth this month, and the cause was being put down to the weather during November. Apparently a combination of wildly fluctuating air pressure and humidity and pollution have caused asthmatics all over London to drop like flies.

Is this BS, or has everyone else in London been struggling this month?

meanredspider

Sounds horrible - glad you're OK. The London air quality in Inverness is fabulous. The weather, in general, though has been pretty odd.

rjsterry

Now that you mention it, I have been struggling this month. I'd put it down to a string of colds that the littl'uns had brought in, but I did notice that my mask filter was particularly black as well. One particular vehicle - an old black cab coming up into Streatham this morning - was doing it's best to finish us off by billowing a huge cloud of black smoke and laying a thick stripe of soot on the road. Doubt he'll make it through the day.

mudcow007

i was really really bad this morning funnily enough

im putting mine down to cold air or something though.

of all the times when my chest kicks off, my inhaler is in the house

beams87

Sorry to hear about your A & E trip!
Should we all be wearing masks whilst our cycling in that case? In particular, asthma sufferers?

mudcow007

last time i went to a "drop in clinic" they told me i could have 30 "squirts" on blue - ventolin inhaler with pauses after every 10

then take a peak flow, if i wasnt within normal ranges have another 10 etc

if after 30, its hospital.

i was pretty bad with asthma as a nipper i was on steroids every day, had a nebuliser an everything, luckily i grew out of most of it

rjsterry

Not from this November, but just to give you an idea



My mask filter after 3 weeks riding in London

stealf

I too have noticed a difficulty in breathing this last few weeks. No history of asthma at all but can say that times and distances have been reduced. In the city I always have a mask( even though i am uncertain of it's effect on the smaller particles ) and the filter colour has gone grey(er?) quicker than previous months.
Again what the OP states sounds like BS but probably has some founding. We should ask for a Panorama special on the subject. Or source a body of experts to do some research on this.

jonginge

Erk, that's not good.

I'm actually feeling better this month. For most of the year I've had bad hayfever symptoms but they've died down recently. Bliss

vermin

I think the consultant blamed the fluctuating meteorological conditions more than pollution, although the two are obviously linked. Mudcow's experience might support this. Not sure a face mask will help - better to just ride in a portable oxygen/pressure tent.

@rjsterry - yuk

sketchley

rjsterry wrote:

Not from this November, but just to give you an idea



My mask filter after 3 weeks riding in London

Yuk. However, I would be interested in seeing what it looked like after three weeks of walking and using tube and trains and buses for your commute.

rjsterry

Fair point. Although you wouldn't be breathing as hard on other modes of transport. The filter I just threw out was worse than that.

jds_1981

This would indicate pollution isn't bad currently http://www.londonair.org.uk/london/asp/ ... isodes.asp

veronese68

I'd have expected the filter to be far blacker than that after 3 weeks.

anonymousblackfg

I've got chest issues though it's a hacking cough that just won't shift after a cold two weeks ago, my ventolin inhailer helps and i am whezier than normal. I had put it down to my cold.

rjsterry

jds_1981 wrote:

This would indicate pollution isn't bad currently http://www.londonair.org.uk/london/asp/ ... isodes.asp

Plenty of 6s on that map, which is at the upper end of moderate - not that special considering the wind and rain we've just had.

vermin

Bit of research seems to suggest a correlation between drops in barometric pressure and breathing difficulties, particularly in asthmatics:

http://www.mnn.com/health/fitness-well-being/stories/do-changes-in-atmospheric-pressure-cause-asthma-attacks

http://www.bmj.com/content/312/7031/604

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9892028

The November pressure graph for Hammersmith looks quite dramatic, and it looks like there was a big drop in pressure yesterday.

rick_chasey

So it wasn't that you got a bit over-excited passing an attractive lady?...


All smells like a cover up to me. .







Hope you're feeling better mate.

vermin

Rick Chasey wrote:

So it wasn't that you got a bit over-excited passing an attractive lady?...


All smells like a cover up to me. .







Hope you're feeling better mate.

Come to think of it, I was briefly following one of these on Friday...

http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=12879667&p=17881723

mudcow007

vermin wrote:

Bit of research seems to suggest a correlation between drops in barometric pressure and breathing difficulties, particularly in asthmatics:

http://www.mnn.com/health/fitness-well-being/stories/do-changes-in-atmospheric-pressure-cause-asthma-attacks

http://www.bmj.com/content/312/7031/604

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9892028

The November pressure graph for Hammersmith looks quite dramatic, and it looks like there was a big drop in pressure yesterday.

it was 996millibars here this morning so that might explain why it felt like i had 3 fat women sitting on my chest on the way in today!

jds_1981

rjsterry wrote:

jds_1981 wrote:

This would indicate pollution isn't bad currently http://www.londonair.org.uk/london/asp/ ... isodes.asp

Plenty of 6s on that map, which is at the upper end of moderate - not that special considering the wind and rain we've just had.

Soz, wrong link - that was mid-nov peaks. This is the current one http://www.londonair.org.uk/london/asp/ ... lletin.asp Mostly 2/3s

Paul E

I am on a blue inhaler and a steroid one seretide and I have noticed lately it's like I have a slight chest infection, tight chest late evening and mornings and I am having to use both a bit more than normal, I was told to up my steroid one if I felt I needed it and for a couple of weeks I have felt I have had to.

I thought it was me needing a few days break from the bike, not been on it since wednesday so I will see tomorrow.

rjsterry

jds_1981 wrote:

rjsterry wrote:

jds_1981 wrote:

This would indicate pollution isn't bad currently http://www.londonair.org.uk/london/asp/ ... isodes.asp

Plenty of 6s on that map, which is at the upper end of moderate - not that special considering the wind and rain we've just had.

Soz, wrong link - that was mid-nov peaks. This is the current one http://www.londonair.org.uk/london/asp/ ... lletin.asp Mostly 2/3s

Yes, that is pretty good, although if it requires a weekend of gale force winds and extensive flooding to keep the air clean, that is worrying in itself. Interestingly, Putney High Street is still showing a spike.

bails87

Are they still doing that thing of putting glue on the ground around the sensors, to stick the crap to them and keep the readings lower?