Friends of the Earth Scotland News Release
For immediate release January 26th 2014
SCOTLAND’S MOST POLLUTED STREETS IN 2013 REVEALED
Air pollution in Scotland continues to be a silent killer, analysis by Friends of the
Earth Scotland concludes. The environment group’s analysis of official data of
three key pollutants shows high levels of air pollution in some of Scotland’s
busiest commuter streets, despite targets which were supposed to have been met
in 2005 and 2010.[1], [2]
The results come out in light of fresh evidence that long term exposure to air
pollution increases the risk of having a heart attack.[3]
Emilia Hanna, Air Pollution Campaigner for Friends of the Earth Scotland, said,
“Air pollution has remained the biggest environmental threat to people in
Scotland in 2013. Fumes from cars, lorries, buses and factories are killing off
more people than car crashes. Air pollution is like passive smoking, we do not
choose to breathe in this poisonous air, it is inflicted upon us.
“This year, as Scotland hosts the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, and people
talk of the legacy of the games for youngsters here and across the participating
nations, potential athletes of the future need clean air, not an increased risk of
developing conditions such as asthma.
“Some of these targets were set in the nineties and supposed to be met in 2005,
yet we still have air pollution at dangerous levels on streets across
Scotland. Both the Scottish Government and our local authorities are only just
beginning to take this seriously and between them they need to act urgently to
make Scotland’s air fit to breathe. We need action on traffic levels and the types
of vehicles allowed on our most polluted streets.
“We need more investment in walking and cycling so that it is easier for people to
leave their cars at home, we need cleaner and more affordable public transport,
and we need to discourage the most polluting vehicles, including through the use
of Low Emission Zones.”
The Results for 2013
Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2)
Number of sites failing nitrogen dioxide standards in 2013 - 14, in 2012 - 15, in
2011 - 13.
Top 14 most polluted streets for nitrogen dioxide in 2013. Figures in
microgrammes per cubic metre, European legal limit 40 (annual mean)
Glasgow Hope Street - 65
Paisley Central Road - 61
Dundee Seagate - 58
Edinburgh St John's Road - 57
Aberdeen Wellington Road - 52
South Lanarkshire Raith Interchange - 51
Dundee Meadowside - 51
Dundee Lochee Road - 50
Aberdeen Union Street - 49
Perth Atholl Street - 49
Glasgow Dumbarton Road - 46
Glasgow Byres Road - 45
Edinburgh Queensferry Road - 45
Aberdeen Market Street - 44
These are the annual mean levels at these sites in 2013. The EU and UK
standard is 40 microgrammes per cubic metre, so all these sites fail the
standard. Scotland was supposed to meet this standard in 2005. In Glasgow, at
least, we are unlikely to meet this air quality standard even in 2020 without
further urgent action.[4]
Sites where air pollution appears to be getting worse compared with 2012 are
Paisley Central Road (annual increase of 10 microgrammes per cubic metre
compared with 2012), Dundee Seagate (increase of 10), and Glasgow Byres Road
(increase of 6).
Overall, there was a slight decrease in the levels of Nitrogen Dioxide compared
with 2012. However, Friends of the Earth Scotland suggests that this is more to
do with weather conditions than any long term reduction in emissions.
Emilia Hanna said, “The final quarter of 2013 was milder and windier than in
2012. This is consistent with slightly lower levels of air pollution towards the end
of 2013 compared with 2012, suggesting that drop in Nitrogen Dioxide levels are
thanks to the windy weather and not because of significant reduction in traffic
pollution.”
Particulate Matter: Small Particles (PM10)
Number of sites failing particulate matter (PM10) standards in 2013 - 17 , 2012 10, in 2011 - 18
Top 17 most polluted streets for particulate matter (PM ) in 2013. Figures in
microgrammes per cubic metre, Scottish Air Quality Objective: 18 (annual mean)
10
Aberdeen Market Street - 27
Aberdeen Wellington Road - 24
Perth Atholl Street - 23
Glasgow Hope Street - 23
Edinburgh Salamander Street - 22
Aberdeen Union Street - 21
North Ayrshire Irvine High Street - 21
Glasgow Dumbarton Road - 20
Falkirk West Bridge Street - 20
Crieff West High Street - 20
Falkirk Kilsyth Road - 19
Aberdeen King Street - 19
South Lanarkshire Rutherglen (Main Street) - 19
Edinburgh Queensferry Road - 19
North Lanarkshire Chapelhall (Main Street) - 19
West Lothian Newton (A904) - 19
Dundee Meadowside - 19
These are the annual mean levels at these sites in 2013. The Scottish air quality
objective is 18 micrograms per cubic metre, so all these sites fail the
objective. Scotland was supposed to meet this objective in 2010.
There were no improvements in air quality for PM at any of the sites in the Top
17 compared with 2012. At nine sites in the Top 17, pollution levels appear to be
getting worse. Streets which experienced an increase were: Aberdeen Market
Street (increase of 5 microgrammes per cubic metre compared with 2012),
Aberdeen Wellington Road (increase of 1), Perth Atholl Street (increase of 2),
North Ayrshire Irvine High Street (increase of 4), Falkirk West Bridge Street
(increase of 2), Perth Crieff (increase of 4), South Lanarkshire Rutherglen Main
Street (increase of 1), Edinburgh Queensferry Road (increase of 1), North
Lanarkshire Chapellhall (increase of 3).
10
Particulate Matter: Fine Particles (PM2.5)
In Scotland, fine particles (PM2.5) are only monitored at six sites. Valid data was
available for four of those sites. PM2.5 levels were exceeded at Glasgow Hope
Street, where an annual of 16.4 microgrammes per cubic metre was recorded,
above the Scottish objective of an annual limit of 12.
Fine particles are considered to be among the most dangerous of pollutants.
Fresh research has linked exposure to fine particles with heart attacks, and
exposure to these particles leads to nearly 1600 early deaths in Scotland every
year. [5] There is currently no obligation on local authorities to try to reduce
PM2.5 levels.
ENDS
For media enquiries, please contact:
Richard Dixon or Lisa Trainer, Friends of the Earth Scotland
t: 07584 411762 or 07921 338705
e: rdixon@foe-scotland.org.uk (or ltrainer@foe-scotland.org.uk)
Notes to Editors
1. For more information, charts, graphs and a map, visit http://www.foescotland.org.uk/node/1740. Our analysis used provisional data of all the
Automatic Monitoring Stations around Scotland, so there may be some changes
when the results are fully ratified (expected in March/April). The list has been
compiled based on information from the Government’s Scottish Air Quality
Website (www.scottishairquality.co.uk) and correspondence with Ricardo AEA, the
air quality consultancy that maintains the site. The data from across the sites has
been ratified from January - September 2013, with the final quarter due to be
ratified in Spring 2014. The monitors were a combination of roadside and
kerbside monitors. It should be noted that at kerbside sites and some roadside
sites, exposure levels may be higher than levels to which people are regularly
exposed. For example, Glasgow Hope Street is a Kerbside site, and the nearest
relevant exposure is bars and cafes approximately 5m from the Kerb.
Queensferry Road is a roadside site, with nearest relevant exposure a property at
approximately 10m from the monitoring station.
2. 14 sites in the top 20 most polluted streets for NO are breaking the legal
“safe” limit. This “safe” limit was to be achieved by 31 December 2005 according
to the Air Quality (Scotland) Regulations 2000
(http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ssi/2000/97/contents/made). 17 sites in the top
20 most polluted streets for PM10 are breaking the legal “safe” limit. This limit
was to be achieved by 2010 pursuant to The Air Quality (Scotland) Amendment
Regulations 2002, Amendment 2(4)(d)
(http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ssi/2002/297/regulation/2/made)
2
3. Research published on 21 January revealed that exposure to fine particles in
the air led to a higher chance of heart attacks and cases of unstable angina. The
research followed over 100,000 people for nearly 12 years. Research published
in the British Medical Journal, “Long term exposure to ambient air pollution and
incidence of acute coronary events: prospective cohort study and meta-analysis
in 11 European cohorts from the ESCAPE Project
BMJ 2014;348:f7412 (http://www.bmj.com/content/348/bmj.f7412)
4. See Defra’s Summary of exceedence of NO limit values and date of expected
compliance by zone “Air Quality Plans for the achievement of EU air quality limit
values for nitrogen dioxide (NO ) in the UK”, Table 1 (June 2011)
2
2
5. See note 3. The Committee on the Medical Aspect of Air Pollution concluded
that very fine particles (PM s) were responsible for 29,000 deaths in the UK in
2008 (1560 in Scotland) and on average shortened everyone's life by 6 months.
http://www.hpa.org.uk/webc/HPAwebFile/HPAweb_C/1317137012567; 186
people died on Scotland's roads in 2011
http://www.transportscotland.gov.uk/news/Key-Reported-Road-CasualtiesScotland-2011
2.5
6. An Air Quality Management Area (“AQMA”) or “pollution zone” is a delineated
zone where a local authority has declared that levels of pollution are above legal
limits. After a local authority declares an AQMA it must produce an Action Plan
which has the aim to bring air quality to within legal limits. (For more
information, visit http://www.scottishairquality.co.uk/laqm.php). However, since
the introduction of the Action Planning system, known as the Local Air Quality
Management system, only three Air Quality Management Areas have ever been
deemed no longer necessary.
7. Road transport is the largest single source of Nitrogen Dioxide. Power
generation is another contributing factor. The European Environment Agency
estimates that 61% of Nitrogen Dioxide in Glasgow comes from road traffic (we
do not have equivalent figures for Edinburgh). High levels of NO are an indicator
of the cocktail of chemical pollution which comes from traffic fumes. Outdoor air
pollution is a leading environmental cause of cancer deaths according to the
World Health Organisation and has been officially classified as carconogenic.
(International Agency for Research on Cancer, “IARC Scientific Publication No
161: Air Pollution and Cancer” 2013) Ambient air pollution has also been linked
with restricted foetal growth, which is linked with adverse respiratory health in
childhood. (http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanres/article/PIIS22132600(13)70192-9/abstract)
2
8. Often in the form of soot from diesel and petrol engines, you can see
Particulate Matter (PM) as a dark, dirty coating on surfaces in towns. Common
chemical constituents of PM include: sulphates, nitrates, ammonium, sodium,
potassium, calcium, magnesium and chloride, carbon, metals and polycyclic
aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). Natural sources include wind-blown dust, sea salt,
pollens and soil particles. Any concentration has a negative effect on health.
Particulate matter varies in size: the main ones we hear about are small particles
(PM ) and fine particles (PM ).
10
2.5
Small particles (PM ) can penetrate the deepest part of the lungs – carrying
cancer-causing substances with them. Fine particles (PM ) can migrate from the
lungs into blood vessels, affecting the cardiovascular system. Both cause heart
and lung diseases, cancers, aggravate asthma and increase chances of premature
death. The health impacts can happen as a result of both short-term (hours,
days) and long-term (months, years) exposure, however, there is more evidence
linking long-term impacts and premature death with PM than PM .
10
2.5
2.5
10
People with pre-existing lung or heart disease, as well as elderly people and
children, are especially vulnerable to the impacts of PM and PM . Exposure to PM
affects how children’s lungs develop and can lead to lungs growing at a slow rate
and and a deficit in long-term lung function. (World Health Organisation, “Health
effects of particulate matter. Policy implications for countries in eastern Europe,
Caucasus and Central Asia” (2013) http://www.euro.who.int/en/healthtopics/environment-and-health/air-quality/publications/2013/health-effects-ofparticulate-matter.-policy-implications-for-countries-in-eastern-europe,caucasus-and-central-asia)
10
2.5
9. Friends of the Earth Scotland is
* Scotland’s leading environmental campaigning organisation
* An independent Scottish charity with a network of thousands of supporters and
active local groups across Scotland
* Part of the largest grassroots environmental network in the world, uniting over
2 million supporters, 77 national member groups, and some 5,000 local activist
groups. www.foe-scotland.org.uk