The Air at SEPTA’s City Hall Station Is Dirtier Than You Think
Plus, Cecily Tynan points out that if Democrats were able to control hurricanes, they'd likely send them to Mar-a-Lago. Solid logic.
A Broad Street Line train at SEPTA’s City Hall station in Philadelphia (photo by Ben Schumin via Flickr/Creative Commons)
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The Air at SEPTA’s City Hall Station Is More Disgusting Than You Think
If you’ve ever used SEPTA’s City Hall/15th Street station to access the Broad Street Line or the Market-Frankford Line, you undoubtedly know that this is far from an enjoyable place to be. The station is dirty. It smells. It is, in a word, gross. And it turns out that the air quality inside the station is even worse than you’d imagine.
A group of scientists at Villanova University recently published a study in which they analyzed the air at the SEPTA station. This comes after a previous study, where they looked into 12 stations along the Broad Street Line and Market-Frankford Line and found that the Broad Street/15th Street station had the highest level of air particulates. So in this new study, they wanted to delve deeper into that one station.
The researchers measured the concentration of air particulates from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on five summer weekdays in 2022. And they found high levels of black carbon, a.k.a. soot, which they theorize might be due to the grinding of train brake pads, which are made of graphite. They also found concerning levels of ultrafine particles, commonly referred to as UFPs, which can be dangerous because of how easily they can penetrate deeply into your lungs.
The study stops short of telling you not to use the station. But the authors do suggest that people with lung problems consider wearing an N95 mask while traveling. They also suggest that SEPTA improve ventilation at the station and, yep, clean it more often.
If you love complex scientific studies, you can read the full thing here. If not, two of the authors did a nice job of summarizing the findings for The Conversation.
Cecily Tynan Continues to Use Solid Logic In Defeating Hurricane Conspiracy Trolls
Yesterday, I told you that 6ABC meteorologist Cecily Tynan had gotten sucked into the conspiracy trenches after U.S. Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene declared that “they” (pretty sure she meant the Democratic-led government) can “control the weather.” In short, some people think that the government is capable of causing hurricanes. And Tynan assured her loyal followers on the service formerly known as Twitter that this was not the case, adding, “I really can’t believe I have to post this.” (You can read my full report here.)
Trolls have been trolling Tynan over the matter since her post, including on Philly Mag’s Facebook page, where some guy named “Bill Deal” invoked the Chinese government, Saudi Arabia, the Pentagon, and something called Operation Popeye in his rambling critique of Tynan. And you’ve got to love Tynan’s response to him:
You don’t understand the power of a hurricane. It’s the height of human arrogance to think people can control a weather system that releases heat energy that is the equivalent of a 10-megaton nuclear bomb every 20 minutes. But, just for fun, let’s throw away true atmospheric science and embrace science fiction: if our current government can create a massive hurricane, why the heck would they create it in the Gulf of Mexico instead of the Atlantic ocean and direct it straight to Mar-A-Lago?!
She makes a good point!
For Escape Room Fans
If you’re looking for the next level of Philly escape rooms, I think we’ve found it. The escape room company Beat the Bomb has locations in Brooklyn, D.C. and Atlanta, and they’re coming to Philly. The idea behind beat the bomb is that if you don’t complete the puzzles and challenges in the allotted time, you don’t just lose. No, a “bomb” goes off. And you and your friends get covered in paint and slime. Beat the Bomb opens on Friday at 1218 Chestnut Street.
By the Numbers
$24.999 million: What this oceanfront home in Avalon is going to cost you. And if you’re not a fan of the ocean, the still-under-construction house will boast not one but two pools. Alas, it does not come with a flying car, so you’ll have to battle the summer GSP traffic like the rest of the schmucks.
0: Chance that I want your smelly, drooling dog (other than a legitimate service animal, of course) sitting next to me at a Philly restaurants. And it turns out that restaurant owners don’t really want to see your dog inside either. But because we’re so damn litigious, their hands are a bit tied.
140: Crossing guard positions that the City of Philadelphia needs to fill. Pay starts at $68 per day, and the gig comes with medical benefits as well as some degree of a pension. No, you do not get a bonus for being one of those dancing crossing guards.
Local Talent
For those of you who like your music loud, dark, and at times downright weird, I feel obliged to tell you that the peerless West Philly instrumental “progressive jazz doom punk” trio Stinking Lizaveta rears its prodigious head at the First Unitarian Church on Saturday. I’ve been a loyal follower since the ’90s. If you’re wondering what progressive jazz doom punk sounds like, here you go. Not your cup of tea? We have some other ideas for you including … Stevie Wonder!
