Air pollution in Scotland's towns and cities has created a public health crisis, according to environmental campaigners. The claim by Friends of the Earth Scotland came after an analysis of official data for two toxic pollutants. The group said the figures showed pollution levels were continuing to break Scottish and European limits. 'Air pollution in Scotland's towns and cities is creating a public health crisis, according to environmental campaigners. High levels of NO2 are linked to asthma and other respiratory problems.......Last April, Health Protection Scotland (HPS) said air pollution may have been responsible for 2,000 deaths in Scotland in a single year.' (BBC News, 11 January) Inside capitalism business is much more important than pollution. RD
The Glasgow & Edinburgh Branches Blog. Towards a better understanding of the world, in order to change it.
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/scotland-breaks-european-air-quality-standards--pollution-has-become-a-public-health-crisis-9970813.html
ReplyDeleteEmilia Hanna, Air Pollution Campaigner for Friends of the Earth Scotland said government action is "painfully slow". She said: “Yet again, Scotland’s streets are shown to have dangerous levels of toxic pollution which are breaking legal limits that were due to be met in 2010." She continued: "Pollution levels in our urban areas are showing little sign of improvement with some key streets even more polluted than in 2013. The time has come for our polluted air to be treated as the public health crisis it really is. Although today’s air pollution is mostly invisible, its impact on our health is crystal clear — breathing in polluted air increases your chances of having a heart attack, a stroke, or developing cancer."