LEVELS of air pollution in Scotland are expected to break World Health Organisation safety standards this week, a environmental group has warned.
Friends of the Earth Scotland say levels of toxic ground level ozone are expected to also brech Scottish regulatory safety standards.
Scotland’s official air quality forecasting service shows that "moderate" levels of air pollution levels will be at their peak on Friday.
The official forecast talks of the "possibility of moderate levels at times due to the long range transport of ozone to the region".
FoES said that air masses from northern continental Europe are expected to bring increased levels of pollution to the UK and Scotland.
In addition, ground level ozone is expected to form in rural parts of Scotland in the sunny weather. 
Also known as “sunburn for the lungs”, ozone is caused by the interaction of sunlight with nitrogen oxides and the vast amounts of uncontrolled volatile organic compounds (VOCs) produced by burning fossil fuels. Traffic congestion is a major cause.
Dr Richard Dixon, director of Friends of the Earth Scotland said, “The air pollution forecast is predicting a wide spread of pollution across Scotland which, if it materialises, will see air masses coming in from northern continental Europe combining with toxic fumes from our own car and lorry exhausts, leading to increased levels of air pollution, in particular, ground level ozone. Sadly a sunny day in the countryside could be the last thing any sensitive person needs this week.
“People with existing lung or heart conditions are the most at risk from this air pollution episode. If the forecast becomes a reality, the official health advice is that adults and children with lung and heart problems, who experience symptoms, should consider limiting strenuous physical activity, especially outdoors.
“These toxic levels of pollution are a serious threat to health and the Scottish Government was supposed to meet ozone standards by 2005. Traffic is a key culprit of today’s pollution, so the Government needs to get serious about making it easier for us to walk, cycle, and use public transport, and delivering on its Low Emission Zone promises.”
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