SCOTLAND’S MOST POLLUTED STREETS REVEALED
Friends of the Earth Scotland say that their new analysis report shows that air pollution targets are still being missed across Scotland, despite targets which were supposed to have been met eight years ago, and includes three Edinburgh streets on the list.
Dr Richard Dixon, Director of Friends of the Earth Scotland, said:-
“Air pollution is the biggest environmental threat to people’s health, with fumes from cars, lorries and buses, killing off at least 10 times the number who die in road crashes every year.
“Some of these targets were set in the late 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 have failed to take this issue seriously for years and between them they need to do more than make promises they don’t deliver. We need action on traffic levels and the types of vehicles allowed on our most polluted streets.”
Number of sites failing nitrogen dioxide standards in 2012 – 15, in 2011 – 13
Top 15 most polluted streets for nitrogen dioxide in 2012 (figures in microgrammes per cubic meter, European standard 40)
Glasgow Kerbside – 72.5
South Lanarkshire Raith Interchange – 62.9
Aberdeen Wellington Road – 58.8
Edinburgh St John’s Road – 57.9
Dundee Lochee Road – 55.4
Perth Atholl Street – 55.1
Aberdeen Union Street Roadside – 55.0
Edinburgh Queensferry Road – 54.5
Dundee Meadowside – 54.5
Paisley Central Road – 50.7
Dundee Seagate – 50.4
West Lothian Broxburn – 47.4
Aberdeen Market Street 2 – 46.8
East Dunbartonshire Bearsden – 43.6
Dundee Whitehall Street – 43.0
These are the annual mean levels at these sites in 2012. The EU and UK standard is 40 micrograms per cubic meter, so all these sites fail the standard. We were supposed to meet this standard in 2005. In Glasgow at least we are unlikely to meet it even in 2020.
Number of sites failing particulate matter standards in 2012 – 10, in 2011 – 18
Top ten most polluted streets for particulate matter (PM10) in 2012 (figures in microgrammes per cubic meter, Scottish objective 18)
Aberdeen Wellington Road – 27.6
Edinburgh Salamander St – 26.7
South Lanarkshire Raith Interchange – 25.5
Aberdeen Union Street Roadside – 25.0
Perth Atholl Street – 24.9
Glasgow Kerbside – 23.6
Falkirk West Bridge Street – 22.1
Aberdeen King Street – 22.0
Glasgow Dumbarton Road – 21.0
Aberdeen Market Street 2 – 20.7
These are the annual mean levels at these sites in 2012. The Scottish air quality objective is 18 micrograms per cubic meter, so all these sites fail the objective. We were supposed to meet this objective in 2010 according to Friends of the Earth Scotland.
Data analysed by FoEScotland from this site http://www.scottishairquality.co.uk/index.php
The report produced on air quality in December 2012 is here http://www.scottishairquality.co.uk/documents/reports2/462130114_Scottish_Air_Quality_Database_Annual_Report_2011_V3.pdf
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
