Clean air for Scotland
The year 2020 has brought respiratory health to the forefront of everyone’s minds. For some however, it’s been their main concern for much longer. People living with asthma in Scotland are often reminded of their lung health every time they step outside their front door.
Air pollution is harmful
Whilst many take walking down the street for granted, this simple activity can leave people with asthma coughing, wheezing or feeling their chest tighten. The levels of pollution created by streams of traffic expelling harmful exhaust fumes into the air can irritate the delicate lining of the lung and trigger a flare-up of symptoms which can be life threatening. Latest estimates suggest that the equivalent of over 2,000 lives are cut short each year in Scotland from air pollution.
Need for Low Emission Zones (LEZs)
One of the most effective ways we can tackle the levels of air pollution in Scotland is the creation of Low Emission Zones (LEZs) in our towns and cities. Low Emission Zones, as already implemented in major cities across Europe, limit vehicular access to city centres to improve the air quality. By expanding zones to apply to private cars, as well as buses, lorries and other large vehicles, Scotland could comply with legal levels and positively impact on children’s health. A zone introduced in Berlin in 2008, which did include restrictions on private cars, led to PM and NO2 emissions 50% and 20% lower than the predicted trend, making a marked improvement in the air quality.
Even small reductions in vehicle numbers can lead to significant health benefits as demonstrated earlier this year when lockdown led to one in six people in Scotland noticing a clear improvement in their lung condition symptoms due to the reduction in traffic. With our current lifestyle changes caused by the pandemic, such as working from home, we are cutting down on the number of journeys we make and therefore the amount of air pollution created. If (as we begin to return to life before lockdown) we continue to reduce the number of journeys we make by using public transport or active travel, we could make a huge impact on our lung health.
Clean Air for Scotland strategy
As vehicle emissions rise towards pre-lockdown levels, we need to do everything in our power to ensure we are taking steps toward meeting the objectives of the Clear Air for Scotland strategy, including the implementation of LEZs. Any delay in improving the air quality in Scotland will have a negative effect on those suffering with asthma. We would like to thank Scot Rail and bus operators for their efforts to try to make public transport COVID safe during this worrying time and we hope that as it becomes safe to do so, people will return to using public transport to reduce air pollution.
If we all work to make Scotland’s air cleaner, we can improve our nation’s health, helping everyone to breathe clean air with healthy lungs.
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