Switch Off and Breathe

One of the few benefits of this terrible pandemic was the improvement of air quality in our towns and cities through reduced vehicle use during the lockdown. I live in central Edinburgh and noticed the improvement in air quality with less traffic on the roads. Research suggested that air pollution in our cities fell by at least a half during the lockdown due to less economic activity and less vehicles on our roads.

The Switch off and Breathe campaign was launched in 2004 through the East Central Scotland Vehicle Emission Partnership (VEP), made up of five local authorities (East Lothian, Midlothian, West Lothian, Falkirk, and Stirling Councils), with funding provided by the Scottish Government. The aim of the campaign is to encourage drivers to switch off their engines whenever possible.

The benefits of doing this is that it reduces air pollution, carbon emissions and also saves the drivers money. There are a wide range of gases and particles in exhaust fumes. Carbon Monoxide is caused by an incomplete burning of fuel. Nitrogen oxides and tiny sooty particles can cause a dangerous cocktail. Diesel engines are thought to be particularly deadly as they contain PM2.5 particles, which contain heavy metals and can lodge in the lungs and enter our bloodstream.

Air pollution is deadly for our health. It is estimated that air pollution kills over eight million…