VULNERABLE people are at risk from a moderate-to-high air pollution 'episode' in Scotland caused by pollution coming from continental Europe and includes dust from the Sahara Desert, an environmental group has warned.

Scotland’s official air quality website forecast reveals there were four local authority areas where the overall pollution index was classed as High, including Glasgow City, Inverclyde, and Dumfries and Galloway.

Renfrewshire had the highest air pollution banding in the air quality study which makes a calculation based on the highest concentration of five pollutants including nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, ozone and particulate matter.

All other areas of Scotland were at 'moderate' while just the Shetland Islands, Orkney Islands, Western Isles, Moray, Highland, and Dundee City were classed as Low.

The Herald:

According to the website, older people living in areas of High pollution should reduce physical exertion.

And anyone in the general population experiencing discomfort such as sore eyes, cough or sore throat should consider reducing activity, particularly outdoors.

READ MORE: Revealed: the most polluted streets in Scotland

In High and Moderate areas of pollution, adults and children with lung problems, and adults with heart problems, who experience symptoms, should consider reducing strenuous physical activity, particularly outdoors.

Friends of the Earth Scotland fears levels of toxic particulate matter will be in breach of World Health Organisation and Scottish regulatory safety standards across the country.

The latest episode is expected to continue on Tuesday with air quality improving later in the week.

According to the Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs the latest pollution episode is considered to be from locally generated [such as transport] and continental sources with light winds and the potential for some Saharan Dust".

FoES added: "Low winds over the past 24 hours have limited the dispersal of the pollution."

Air pollution is blamed for over 2,500 early deaths every year in Scotland and is estimated to cost the Scottish economy over £1.1 billion annually. But local authorities and the Scottish Government say they have plans to tackle the problem.

The Scottish Government has pledged to introduce Low Emission Zones into Scotland’s four biggest cities; Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Dundee between 2018 and 2020.

Gavin Thomson, Air Pollution Campaigner for Friends of the Earth Scotland said: “This pollution episode has been caused by a combination of pollution drifting in from other countries mixing with the traffic fumes being belched out by vehicles on our streets.

"People with lung or heart problems are particularly at risk. If people do experience symptoms, the government’s official health advice is to consider reducing strenuous physical activity, particularly outdoors. People with asthma may find they need to use their reliever inhaler more often.

“The levels on the streets... highlight the need for strong action from the Scottish Government to protect its citizens. We need Low Emission Zones in every major city in Scotland to exclude the most polluting vehicles from the most polluted places."

Last month FoES placed Hope Street in Glasgow's city centre at the top of their 'most polluted streets' list after analysing air pollution data for 2018, looking at toxic pollutants which are primarily produced by transport.

Mr Thomson said a much more comprehensive warning system was required.

"Air pollution events such as this one need to be widely communicated to the general public, with enough advance to allow people to limit their exposure and protect their health," he added.

The Herald:

“Air pollution is like passive smoking, you don’t get a choice over the air you breathe. Society’s most vulnerable people are the hardest hit. If the Scottish Government believes in fairness and protecting public health it must tackle this pollution urgently.

“To really address our chronic pollution problems, the Scottish Government needs to improve bus services, introduce 20mph zones as the norm in towns and cities, and roll out safe walking and cycling infrastructure so that cars are no longer the dominant mode of transport in built up areas "A third of people in Scotland don’t have access to a car and it is completely unfair that they are forced to suffer the harms of invisible, poisonous air pollution."

A Scottish Government spokesman said: “We are committed to improving air quality across the country and have seen significant reductions in pollution emissions over recent decades through tighter industrial regulation, improved fuel quality, cleaner vehicles and an increased focus on sustainable transport.

“We also spend over £1 billion a year on public transport and doubled the active travel budget in 2018 to support sustainable travel options.

“Compared to the rest of the UK and other parts of Europe, Scotland enjoys a high level of air quality and we have set more stringent air quality targets. Low Emission Zones will help further improve the quality of the air in our towns and cities by allowing access to only the cleanest vehicles. We provided over £10 million in 2018 to support local authorities and bus operators with the financial costs of establishing LEZs, and we will continue to provide support in order to protect public health.

“We recognise that a few hotspots of poorer air quality remain in some Scottish cities and towns, and are working with local authorities and other partners to address this as soon as possible.

"We have made £2.5 million of funding available annually to local authorities in order to support action plan development and implementation, and announced a review of our air quality strategy at the end of last year to identify priorities for further action and to ensure that we continue to build on progress to date.”