Glasgow street is one of the UK’s most polluted

A Scottish energy expert has welcomed news of a Scottish Parliament inquiry into air quality after several Glaswegian streets were named among the UK’s worst for pollution.

Earlier this year three streets in Glasgow city centre were found to be among the most polluted in the country – with Hope Street’s nitrogen dioxide levels of 65 micrograms per cubic metre discovered to be 40% above the minimum European standard of 40.

Cambuslang Main Street and Dumbarton Road were also found to have excessive pollution levels. St John’s Road, Edinburgh, is Scotland’s second most polluted street, with nitrogen dioxide levels 19% above safe levels.

Scottish energy efficiency expert and commercial EPC specialist Raj Chall of Scottish Energy Services responded to the news.

He said:

“As a proud Glaswegian I’m naturally very disappointed to hear that air pollution is so high on some of our streets, especially given the significant strides Scotland has made in recent years towards having the cleanest air in Europe.”

“A lot of work is already underway improving Scotland’s environment, especially measures relation to commercial energy performance certification like last year’s new section 63 legislation and I’d expect to see pollution levels in cities like Edinburgh and Glasgow falling in the future.”

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Inquiry

The Scottish Parliament’s Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform Committee this month launched an inquiry into Scotland’s air quality, examining whether enough is being done to tackle pollution.

Committee convener Graeme Dey said:

“Not only can poor air quality impact our natural environment and wildlife, but it is also bad for our own health and is especially harmful for the young, elderly and people who already have heart and lung conditions. In fact, recent evidence suggests air pollution may be a contributory factor to 15,000 early deaths in Scotland each year.”