Falkirk road one of most polluted

According to information released by Friends of the Earth Scotland, the Falkirk road fails to meet the Scottish Air Quality Objective of 18 microgrammes of particulate matter per cubic metre.

The Air Quality Scotland Amendment Regulations 2002 required this objective to be met by 2010, however as the figures show, many Scottish streets have failed to meet a safe standard.

The particles found in West Bridge Street are known to be linked with serious health problems including heart attacks, strokes, respiratory illness and early death.

The particulate matter is the term for a mixture of solid particles and liquid droplets found in the air such as dirt, dust, soot or smoke.

The results have been published in light of news the Scottish Government may face court action if it fails to tackle the pollution problem quick enough.

Air pollution campaigner Emilia Hanna said: “Streets are breaking legal limits in each major city in Scotland, demonstrating just how serious and widespread Scotland’s air pollution health crisis is.

“Air pollution causes over 2,000 early deaths in Scotland each year at a cost of over £1.1 billion to the economy.”