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Slices of London’s fatbergs on display (Includes first-hand account)

Britain’s sewers, especially those of London, have a problem: fatbergs. A fatberg is a congealed lump accumulating in a sewer system, with the term a portmanteau of “fat” plus “berg”, modeled on iceberg. “Fatberg” has now reached the Oxford English Dictionary, becoming an official ‘word’ in 2015.

Close up and personal  a sample of fatberg on display in London.

Close up and personal, a sample of fatberg on display in London.

These masses are formed by the combination of non-biodegradable solid matter, such as disposable wipes, combined with grease and cooking fat. These constructs have become an increasing problem in recent years, partly as the result of Britain’s aging Victorian drains and sewage system, coupled with a greater use of disposable cloths.

Photograph of a sewer worker on route to find a fatberg.

Photograph of a sewer worker on route to find a fatberg.

One of the biggest examples of a fatberg was uncovered in Whitechapel area of London. In 2017 a fatberg mass weighing 130 tonnes (or 130,000 Kiliograms) was discovered. The mass stretched over 250 meters (or 820 feet). This monster fatberg, according to The Guardian, weighed the same as 11 double decker buses and stretched the length of two football pitches.

The last remaining parts of the Whitechapel fatberg - a sewer blockage which became an international...

The last remaining parts of the Whitechapel fatberg – a sewer blockage which became an international media sensation when it was discovered in September 2017.

A new exhibition at the the Museum of London puts on display the last remaining parts of the Whitechapel fatberg, which were removed to address a major sewer blockage.

A selection of tools used by sewer workers to tackle the fatberg.

A selection of tools used by sewer workers to tackle the fatberg.

The aim of the exhibition is to inform people about fatbergs and the risks and problems this offset of modern life presents.

Fatberg! Are you brave enough to face the fatberg? Museum of London exhibition.

Fatberg! Are you brave enough to face the fatberg? Museum of London exhibition.

For the exhibition’s curator, Vyki Sparkes, putting on the display was important in order to reveal to people a darker side of modern consumerist society: “For me, the fatberg is rather like the portrait of Dorian Gray: it shows our disgusting side. Just as in Oscar Wilde’s novel, it is hidden away, getting worse and worse as we pile the accumulated sins of the city into it: cooking fat, condoms, needles, wet wipes, and of course human waste.”

Such are the risks from fatbergs  workers need to wear special hazmat suits.

Such are the risks from fatbergs, workers need to wear special hazmat suits.

As well as fats and plastics, analysis of fatbergs has also found them to contain high quantities of prescription drugs, high performing sports medications (like hordenine and ostarine), plus illegal substances like cocaine and MDMA.

Image on show at the museum of a fatberg blocking up a pipe.

Image on show at the museum of a fatberg blocking up a pipe.

Analysis of the different fats that constitute the fatberg  at the Museum of London.

Analysis of the different fats that constitute the fatberg, at the Museum of London.

With the samples on show at the museum, they are surprisingly fragile. The museum has no idea how long the samples will last for or what the best way to preserve them is. At the exhibition visitors can learn about how scientists analysed the “rock hard” fatberg in order to conserve the sample.

A sample of the fatberg on show at the Museum of London. A disgusting  fascinating and dangerous mas...

A sample of the fatberg on show at the Museum of London. A disgusting, fascinating and dangerous mass.

Not only a fatbergs are problem for those tasked with maintaining the sewage system (like risks of raw sewage flooding), they also pose a health hazard. Many fatbergs contain concentrations of pathogenic bacteria, such as Listeria, Campylobacter and Escherichia coli.

Fatbergs can be dangerous. The bacteria not only poses an immediate risk to operatives who work in s...

Fatbergs can be dangerous. The bacteria not only poses an immediate risk to operatives who work in sewers, but also to the public in the event of a blockage.

However, there could be a practical application too. Fatbergs are being considered as a source of fuel, such as biogas.

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Written By

Dr. Tim Sandle is Digital Journal's Editor-at-Large for science news. Tim specializes in science, technology, environmental, business, and health journalism. He is additionally a practising microbiologist; and an author. He is also interested in history, politics and current affairs.

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