Byres Road is among the highest in Glasgow for air pollution

It’s over the legal limit


Glasgow’s West End is one of the most polluted areas in the country.

Dumbarton Road and Byres Road are the second most polluted streets in Glasgow, behind Hope Street in the City Centre, with an unsafe reading of 42 microgrammes per cubic metre of Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2). This is over the legal limit of 40 microgrammes.
Hope Street smashed the legal limit with a reading of 65 microgrammes per cubic metre.
Glasgow as a city was presented with a 2010 deadline to fix the levels of unsafe and illegal toxic pollution, but have so far failed to meet this.
Glaswegian Jean Nelson said: “Cars are choking the city. A lot of people are dying unnecessarily due to air pollution.
“Europe has told Scotland to clean up this problem, but nothing has been done.”
NO2 is a contributor to photo-chemical smog and is caused by the burning of fossil fuels. High amounts of this gas can cause respiratory problems as the gas inflames the lining of the lungs and reduces immunity to infection.
Increased levels of NO2 can have significant impacts to human health, especially to those with persisting medical issues such as asthma as it causes more frequent and more intense attacks.