from Sunday Herald, 23 February 2003
Living in central Scotland will hasten your death. New evidence shows that breathing in the poisonous clouds of pollution that swirl around our city streets could cost you 100 days of life.
The tiny particles and toxic gases belched out by vehicles and industry cause hundreds of deaths and thousands of respiratory diseases every year, says an expert study for the Scottish Executive. And the plight of hundreds of thousands of asthma-sufferers is made much worse.
Yet, despite a raft of well-intentioned government initiatives aimed at reducing such a terrible toll, the latest figures reveal that air pollution is still on the rise. The levels of most pollutants in most places are increasing.
For the first time scientists from the Institute of Occupational Medicine in Edinburgh and AEA Technology in Oxfordshire have attempt to calculate the overall impact of pollution on human health in the central belt of Scotland. They focussed on three major pollutants: tiny toxic particles known as PM10s, nitrogen dioxide and sulphur dioxide.
They concluded that one year's exposure to PM10s alone resulted in 2.8 million people losing 11,634 "life years". Put another way, that means that on average every year that you live in the central belt, you lose a day and a half of your life because of the pollution you breath in. So if you live in the region for 70 years, your life will be shortened by over 100 days.
The study also says that all three pollutants caused 633 deaths in 1998, the most recent year for which data is available. In addition they resulted in 1,292 admissions to hospital because of breathing problems, 2,763 new cases of chronic bronchitis and over half a million "respiratory symptoms" amongst adults and children with asthma.
These shocking figures confirm the worst fears of environmentalists. "This study reveals that the lives of thousands of people in the central belt are seriously blighted by a toxic cocktail of pollutants," says Dr Dan Barlow, head of research at Friends of the Earth Scotland.
"The fumes that spew out of cars and factories are shortening our lives, killing hundreds of us and making many more sick. Air pollution, mainly from vehicle exhausts, is now killing more people in Scotland than die in road crashes."
This week, all Scotland's environmental groups are banding together to launch a major drive to push green issues to the top of the agenda at the Scottish elections in May. Scottish Environment Link, which brings together 25 organisations with a combined membership of half a million people, will be announcing details of an intensive lobbying, advertising and internet campaign on Wednesday, under the theme 'everyone can'.
One of the major planks of the campaign is expected to be a demand to cut levels of traffic on the roads 10% by 2010. The suggestion is this could be done by diverting at least £600 million of public money from road-building to boosting public transport, walking and cycling.
The environmental groups have commissioned a series of hard-hitting adverts to drive home their message, the first of which suggests that more people are killed by exhaust fumes from cars than in road accidents. "Action to halt this terrible loss of life would be thwarted if the billion pounds currently earmarked for new road building is not spent more sustainably," argues Barlow.
The groups also point out that targets for local authorities to cut pollution by 2005 are unlikely to be met because of delays in drawing up plans to improve air quality. Edinburgh has produced a draft but not a final plan, while Glasgow and Aberdeen haven't yet produced a draft plan.
"The government's strategy to clean up our air is years behind schedule, and very unlikely to be delivered by the deadlines they themselves have set. Voters should be asking potential MSPs when they will begin to take serious action on this and other environmental issues," urges George Baxter from WWF Scotland (formerly known as the World Wildlife Fund).
The Scottish Executive defends its position by listing all the measures it is taking to tackle air pollution. This includes "tough action" against particles, controls on industrial emissions and a 'Clean Up Scotland' initiative to cut fumes from HGVs, buses and taxis.
"Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen are preparing air quality action plans. We await details, and will give advice on their implementation once we have received them," says an executive spokesman.
The councils stress that they are doing what they can to produce their plans, but point out that there is a limit to what they can achieve on their own. "Air quality issues in Scotland's cities are as a result of transport and, therefore, it is essential that those who set public transport policy in Scotland put air quality and environmental considerations at its heart," says a spokesman for the National Society for Clean Air, which includes local authorities.
In a separate move last week, the Scottish Executive released figures showing how most air pollution is getting worse, regardless of all the efforts to combat it. In the centre of Edinburgh concentrations of PM10s, the most hazardous form of pollution, have jumped from 19 to 27 micrograms per cubic metre between 1999 and 2002.
Over the same period levels of nitrogen dioxide in the city increased from 42 to 48 micrograms per cubic metre, and levels of sulphur dioxide from 4 to 7 micrograms per cubic metre. Levels of nitrogen dioxide have also increased in Aberdeen, while there is a more mixed picture in Glasgow with some pollution going up and some going down.
The executive disclosed the information in response to a question from the Scottish National Party's shadow environment minister, Bruce Crawford. "We are losing the battle against air pollution," he said. "These figures are indicative of a failure by the executive to deliver a more effective public transport network."
AIR POLLUTION: THE TERRIBLE TOLL
The damage caused in a year to the health of people living in central Scotland by three major air pollutants - tiny particles, nitrogen dioxide and sulphur dioxide - has been estimated for the first time by the Institute of Occupational Medicine in Edinburgh.
Deaths: 633
Admissions to hospital with breathing problems: 1,292
New cases of chronic bronchitis: 2,763
Visits to GPs for breathing problems: 10,738
Breathing problems suffered by children with asthma: 151,171
Breathing problems suffered by adults with asthma: 379,569On average, the pollution causes everyone to lose one and a half days of life for every year they live in central Scotland. So people living there for 10 years will lose 15 days of life; for 30 years, 45 days of life; for 50 years, 75 days; and for 70 years, 105 days.
Comments