Friends of the Earth Scotland has ranked the country’s most polluted streets for 2018, and the results show there has been very little progress in reducing air pollution.
Official air pollution data for last year was analysed by the environmental group, looking at two toxic pollutants which are primarily produced by transport.
Legal air safety standards are being breached at 7 monitoring stations across Scotland. Air pollution damages public health and has been linked to cancer, heart attacks, strokes, and restricted development in unborn babies and children.
Dirtiest streets for Nitrogen Dioxide
The European Ambient Air Quality Directive set a limit for NO2 of 40 microgrammes per cubic metre, so all these sites are breaking the legal limit. The deadline for compliance was 1 January 2010.
Location / NO2 Annual mean (µg/m3)
Glasgow Kerbside / 60.48
Edinburgh Queensferry Road / 50.54
Edinburgh Nicolson Street / 49.22
Edinburgh St John’s Road / 46.32
Dundee Seagate / 43.42
Dundee Lochee Road / 42.05
Dirtiest streets for Particulate Matter
The Scottish annual statutory standard for particulate matter (PM10) is 18 micrograms per cubic metre, so two of these sites are breaking the standard. The deadline for this standard to have been met was 31st December 2010.
Location / PM10 Annual mean (µg/m3)
Edinburgh Queensferry Road / 24.15
Edinburgh Salamander St / 20.83
Aberdeen Market Street 2 / 17.08
Aberdeen Wellington Road / 17.02
Scotland has been breaking legal limits on air pollution since 2010. A Low Emission Zone was launched in Glasgow on 31st December 2018, and three more will be in place in Dundee, Aberdeen, and Edinburgh by 2020.
Gavin Thomson, Air Pollution Campaigner for Friends of the Earth Scotland said: “These shocking figures show that the air pollution health crisis isn’t going away; in many areas it’s getting worse.
“With streets in Scotland’s cities still at illegal levels of air pollution, the Scottish Government’s ‘Cleaner Air for Scotland’ strategy has clearly failed to deliver. The current review of this strategy needs to result in a transformation in transport if we are to clean up Scotland’s air so that it is safe for people.
“Aberdeen, Dundee, and Edinburgh must have Low Emission Zones in place by 2020 and this data shows the scale of the problem that these zones must tackle.
“Glasgow’s Low Emission Zone, which only impacts a small number of buses initially, is hugely disappointing and will be make no difference in its first year.
“Air pollution is responsible for over 2500 early deaths every year in Scotland. It has been linked with heart attacks, strokes, and cancers, and vulnerable groups such as the young, the elderly and those already suffering ill health are at particular risk. The health evidence on the impact of air pollution is overwhelming. We need to act now.
“Dundee, Aberdeen, and Edinburgh have a great chance to improve their city, clean the air, and protect the health of their citizens. This data shows how much we need to see bold, ambitious plans for improving air quality coming from our city councils. We have seen some promising ideas tabled by Edinburgh Council, while Glasgow’s ‘Avenues project’ is already underway.
“If we have the right ambition, we can make our cities healthier, happier, more prosperous places where want to spend time rather than race through. By giving more people the freedom to walk and cycle safely, as well the option of good quality public transport we can end the stranglehold of cars on our towns and cities.”
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