Act on clean air

We were alarmed to see the publication of new research showing that air pollution has now overtaken smoking as a leading cause of early death in the UK (‘Air pollution kills twice as many people as previously thought’, The Scotsman, 13 March).

Of most concern in this research is the number of deaths associated with particulate matter (PM2.5) pollution.

PM2.5 is hazardous to health, as it can irritate the lungs and enter the bloodstream, triggering all manner of health problems including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, heart disease, stroke and even depression.

For people living with lung disease, being exposed to unsafe levels of PM2.5 pollution can make their symptoms worse, forcing them to go to their GP or to hospital for emergency treatment.

Professor James Chalmers, GSK/BLF chair at the University of Dundee, has analysed air pollution patterns alongside the medical records of patients with lung disease in NHS Tayside.

He found that a small reduction in particulate matter concentration of 10 micrograms per cubic metre would have prevented nearly 1000 admissions to hospitals and GP surgeries in Tayside alone.

Air pollution doesn’t just cut lives short, it robs the public

purse too. It should worry us all that those whose health is already fragile are among those at greatest risk from breathing filthy air. We need to see urgent action from central and local government to improve air quality.

Restricting the most polluting vehicles from pollution hotspots is a big start in the fight for clean air with healthy lungs and will go a long way to reversing the growing crisis from air pollution in Scotland.

JOSEPH CARTER British Lung Foundation Scotland, Wellington Street, Glasgow,