Glasgow city centre is so polluted people with asthma could suffer potentially fatal attacks if they don't avoid it, a charity has claimed.
Asthma and Allergy Foundation issued the warning while noting that air pollution in Scotland's major cities has returned to the same levels witnessed pre-pandemic, the Scottish Daily Express reports.
The charity is calling on the Scottish Government to do more to help tackle the issue, which causes around 28,000 to 36,000 deaths every year according to UK Government estimates.
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Chief executive of the Asthma and Allergy Foundation, Martina Chukwuma-Ezike, referenced Glasgow as she revealed plans to create a new "common sense" group on the issue of toxic air with other organisations around Scotland.
She said: “I live and work in Aberdeen, but there are entire sections of the city that I must avoid completely to keep myself safe.
“If I were to walk between Aberdeen’s two main shopping malls in the city centre – St Nicholas Centre to Union Square via Market Street – I would suffer an asthma attack later that night.
"That’s a fact. And our health promotion teams around the country report similar stories. It’s the same in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Dundee.”
Her comments come not long after plans to effectively exclude the most polluting vehicles from driving into Glasgow city centre were given the green light after Glasgow’s Low Emission Zone (LEZ) was approved by Scottish Ministers.
Formally introduced on May 31 with a one-year grace period, Glasgow’s LEZ will be enforced from 1 June 2023 - affecting all vehicles entering the zone area, with a penalty charge payable if the required emission standards are not met.
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