Air Pollution levels at Aberdeen health centre above safe limits

New analysis has revealed that Aberdeen Community Health and Care Village is in an area that exceeds the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) safe air pollution limits.

The report Toxic Air at the Door of the NHS, from the British Lung Foundation maps fine particulate matter (PM2.5) levels at health centres across the UK. PM2.5 refers to tiny particles with a diameter 30 times smaller than the average human hair. They are particularly harmful to our health, as they are small enough to pass through the lungs and into the bloodstream. The particles come from various sources - with the majority coming from road transport in urban areas - and are linked to multiple health concerns including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), heart disease, stroke and lung cancer.

Aberdeen Community Health and Care Village is located close to King Street, where Aberdeen City Council installed monitoring equipment for PM2.5 in June 2017. However, in a recent Air Quality progress report published by Aberdeen City Council, they claimed that no breaches of the PM2.5 limit were observed at any of their monitoring stations – a claim that has been thrown into question by the report, which suggests that PM2.5 levels in the city may be higher than previously thought.

Joseph Carter, Head of the British Lung Foundation Scotland, said: “It’s extremely worrying that Aberdeen Community Health and Care Village is in an area with unsafe levels of air pollution. It’s not right that every year, thousands of patients – including children, the elderly and those with heart and lung problems – are breathing in dirty air when they go to seek medical care.

“These findings should serve as a wake-up call to Aberdeen City Council, who must now act to tackle the growing public health crisis caused by air pollution. They must bring forward proposals for a Low Emission Zone urgently to ensure that everyone in Aberdeen can feel the benefits of breathing clean air.”

Aberdeen resident and campaigner Rachel Martin said:

“It’s really concerning that people in Aberdeen are being exposed to dangerous levels of air pollution when they're accessing healthcare. I’d like to see ambitious action from the council to establish a Low Emission Zone and remove the most polluting vehicles from our city”.

Professor James Chalmers, British Lung Foundation Chair of Respiratory Research at the University of Dundee, said:

“Air pollution affects everyone, but it is particularly harmful for those with long-term health conditions, including lung conditions such as COPD. It is really worrying that air pollution levels around Aberdeen Community Health and Care Village are exceeding WHO limits, especially when this area is visited regularly by people who are particularly vulnerable to the effects of air pollution. Curbing unsafe levels of pollution must be a major priority if we are to improve lung health across Scotland."