A chemical haze which mysteriously descended on the Sussex coast on Sunday has left authorities scratching their heads. Some 150 people required treatment for stinging eyes, sore throats and vomiting, but the effects of the unknown substance were mostly minor, Sussex police said. Chemical experts have put forward a variety of possible explanations, some more credible than others.
Weather conditions on Sunday were favourable, however, to the development of a floating toxic algal bloom, according to experts. Temperatures peaked across the UK, with highs of 25C and clear sunshine was recorded in Eastbourne. Prof. Andrea Sella, at UCL, explained that Algal blooms can provoke a light-induced reaction we might see on a sunny day.
An illegal discharge from a passing ship in the English Channel could explain the cloud, which appeared to move towards land from the sea. An alternative could be that a ship may have dispersed something, which is illegal but possible. Such a discharge could react again with sunlight, explaining the unpleasant and highly disagreeable symptoms.
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency said it could take a long time to establish which ships were in the right location to be linked to the cloud. One expert said that the answer was much more likely to be a source on land, something much nearer home, and not related to maritime traffic.
But they strongly denied their site was involved. A spokesperson said their sites were constantly monitored and everything was working normally. There had been no emergency releases recently from any wastewater treatment works in the area, and the site added that it did not use chlorine gas.
No such incidents or explosions were reported in Sussex this weekend, however. Sussex Police said in a statement on Tuesday that a multi-agency task force continues to investigate the cloud. Neither the gas nor its source have been established but the cloud has now dissipated and advice to keep windows and doors closed has now been withdrawn.
She attributed the failure to identify the chemical to ineptitude or conspiracy, and went on to say, ‘the fact that they came on to the beach with gas masks and protective suits yet still didn’t appear to be able to test the very thick chemical air to find out what it was, I find concerning. It is just bonkers not to be sending scientists to investigate as well as emergency services.