A bracing beach walk has long been believed to be a tonic.
The Lincolnshire seaside resort of Skegness attracted many visitors in the first half of the century thanks to a poster celebrating the quality of its sea air.
But scientists have warned that a coastal stroll could mean breathing in noxious chemicals. Smoke from vessels at sea or in port is affecting the air quality of coastal cities, they said.
Researchers identified 'primary sulphate' in ship emissions, consisting of tiny sulphur particles less than 1.5 microns across. Breathed in, they can lodge deep inside the lungs and pose a serious health hazard. Some scientists believe they may cause lung cancer.
Primary sulphate, or S04, is produced when ships burn a cheap sulphur-rich fuel called 'bunker oil'. The particles are believed to be especially harmful to human health because of their small size.
Dr Gerardo Dominguez, a member of the UCSD team, said the research showed that the potential risk from ship emissions was important and should not be ignored in the future. It is estimated that ship pollution may be responsible for up to 60,000 deaths a year worldwide.
U.S. scientists from the University of California at San Diego found ships emitted far more sulphate than previously realised. Their analysis, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, separated primary sulphate from ship smoke and other sources.
Air samples showed 44 per cent of the sulphate polluting coastal California could be traced to ships.
Britons also have cause to be concerned as the English Channel is the world's busiest shipping corridor, with hundreds of ships passing the South coast every day.
(Fom Mail Online)
Skegness Pier circa 1922
I am not sure what the residents and Town Council of Skegness will have to say about that newspaper aricle. I imagine that they will not be well pleased.
John Hassall drew the picture in 1908. It had been commissioned by the Great Northern Railway Company and for this masterpiece he received twelve guineas.
The “so bracing” slogan is believed to have been the brainchild of an unknown member of the Great Northern Railway staff.
The poster was first put on display at Easter time that same year in conjunction with a special three-shilling excursion from Kings Cross. The last of these trips ran on August Bank Holiday, 1913.
Hassall, one of the greatest of all poster artists, drew many telling advertisements, but none so fine as the Jolly Fisherman.
He visited Skegness only once in his life. That was in 1936 when the town which he had put on the map presented him with an illuminated address and “the freedom of the foreshore”
John Hassall said, “the reality of Skegness has eclipsed all my anticipations. It is even more bracing and attractive than I had been led to expect”.
Hassall’s original masterpiece hangs in a place of honour in Skegness Town Hall. It was formally given to the town by British Railways, along with the copyright in 1966.
The artist died in 1948, eighty years old and penniless.
Pompadour
I love that poster. I used to have a copy somewhere.