By Catherine Hunter

Copyright glasgowlive

Revelations that Glasgow has “no single test” to determine if air pollution is harmful to people’s health has been described as “bizarre” by a Southside councillor.

It comes as Pollokshields councillor Jon Molyneux raised questions during last Thursday’s full council meeting about the “long-standing” issue for his constituents who have raised concerns over harmful black smoke from a biomass boiler blowing directly into their garden.

A biomass boiler can be used to burn pellets, logs, wood chips or other biomass fuels and can be connected to a central heating system.

In August, Glasgow City Council announced that air pollution in the city centre had dropped by a third since enforcement of the Low Emission Zone but there are still concerns about air pollution in other parts of the city.

Councillor Molyneux asked what test the council carried out to assess whether air pollution is prejudicial to health.

He was advised by councillor Angus Millar, Convener for Climate, Transport and City Centre Recovery, that there is “no single test” to determine whether any particular set of circumstances would be prejudicial to health in terms of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

Councillor Millar said: “Officers will take into account legislative requirements and relevant guidance to assess the individual conditions of any particular case in the determination.

“The term prejudicial to health is defined in the 1990 Act, it could be the case that air pollution may have the potential to be injurious to health in some circumstances.

“Although the statutory nuisance provisions of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 are not overly proscriptive, officers will take account of relevant legal case law and court judgements that have further defined both statutory nuisance and prejudicial to health definition over many years in assessing any particular case.”

Councillor Jon Molyneux told members that his constituents had been in touch to express their concerns over a biomass boiler which they feel is impacting their health.

He said: “I find it bizarre that there is no single test.

“The council had previously said the Scottish Air Quality would be applied but in response to a complaint brought on behalf of my constituents by the Environmental Rights Scotland.

“They have accepted that it would be wrong to apply those standards but it would also be wrong to apply WHO standards.

“Instead they suggested it be appropriate to use results from a monitoring station almost two miles away and my constituents, next to one of the city’s busiest roads, in order to assess their background air quality.

“My constituents’ health is prejudiced by a biomass boiler, by emissions, but the council is not prepared to use its legal authority.

“Will the convenor agree to meet with me and my constituents and agree a plan to finally end the misery and the impact on their health caused by these emissions.”

Councillor Millar said he was aware of the generalities of the case that councillor Molyneux had raised and that officers were investigating the case.

He advised it wouldn’t be appropriate for him to intervene but that officers could engage with councillors regarding the process.

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