Revealed: 21 hotspots for air pollution, with traffic worst offender

Published on Wednesday 13 January 2010 21:36

TRAFFIC pollution is putting people at risk of health problems like asthma and cancer in 21 parts of Scotland, a report has warned.

Twelve councils in Scotland contain areas of poor air quality, according to the report by Audit Scotland.

The worst offenders are North Lanarkshire, Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow, with 13 of the 21 polluted areas falling within their boundaries.

Audit Scotland, in its report Protecting and Improving Scotland's Environment, has warned the country risks failing European targets for air quality, with the potential for hefty fines of millions of pounds each year.

In 19 areas, traffic pollution was blamed for the low air quality – particularly from buses and heavy goods vehicles. Air quality is considered "poor" when the level of pollutants in it may harm health or the environment.

Green groups last night hit out at the failure, calling for "Draconian" measures such as traffic bans to combat the problems.

Audit Scotland said in the report that air quality in Scotland was "generally very good" but added: "There are 21 locations where air quality is poor and there is a risk of not meeting European targets."

The report added: "To improve air quality further, the amount of pollution that comes from road transport needs to be reduced."

Air pollution from traffic is linked to serious health issues, including cancer, heart problems, allergies and respiratory disease.

It is thought to reduce life expectancy by up to eight months, and cause health problems that cost as much as 20 billion across the UK. It has also been estimated to cause 2,000 deaths a year in Scotland.

Scotland's auditor-general Robert Black said the Scottish Government and councils needed to consider "all possible means of improving air quality".

"I acknowledge that some mechanisms such as road charging may not be acceptable to the public, and others are matters of EU or UK policy but this should not prevent progress," he added.

Friends of the Earth Scotland chief executive Duncan McLaren called for "Draconian measures" to reduce traffic in poor air quality areas, including road closures.

He hit out at the "motorist-friendly" attitude of the SNP government and said: "We will not build our way out of these problems by building bypasses and new motorways. That's a bankrupt approach and we need investment in transport reduction and cleaner vehicles."

Green MSP Patrick Harvie said: "Scotland's transport system has been designed around the car for far too long, and it's little surprise to see that people living in Scotland's biggest cities are still paying the price."

A Scottish Government spokesman said he acknowledged there were still "hotspots of poorer air quality in a number of our towns and cities".

"The Scottish Government is involved in implementing a range of policies at UK, Scottish and local levels which aim to address the issues in these hotspots and also improve air quality in general for the whole population," he added.