Doctors are calling for "urgent action" to bring down levels of air pollution amid warnings that it remains a leading cause of preventable ill health . Health Protection Scotland estimate that there are some 1,700 premature deaths in Scotland annually which can be attributed to air pollution, including by increasing the risk of heart attacks and strokes. In an appeal to coincide with Clean Air Day, representatives from Scotland's medical royal colleges are pushing the Scottish Government to do more to tackle the problem.
READ MORE: Half of Glasgow council vehicles don't comply with LEZ Scottish Government climate target missed again Edinburgh Low Emission Zone comes into effect The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (RCPE), The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) in Scotland, and The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) in Scotland want the Scottish Government to focus on reducing yearly average levels of nitrogen dioxide, a toxic gas produced mainly from transport . An investigation by Environmental Standards Scotland (ESS) reported last year that there was a “continued failure” in some parts of Scotland to meet the statutory average annual nitrogen dioxide levels limit of 40 micrograms per cubic meter of air (μg/m3). Medics said Scotland should strive to achieve 20 μg/m3 within the next five years, with the ultimate aim of reducing nitrogen dioxide levels to the 10μg/m3 maximum recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO) by 203.
