Author: Peacock Carter

The theme of this year’s World Environmental Health Day is ‘Indoor and Outdoor Air Quality.

REHIS will participate in the International Federation of Environmental Health’s World Environmental Health Day 2017 activities by arranging and co-funding, with the City of Edinburgh Council, the installation of an Electrical Vehicle Charging Point (ECP) outside a public library which is adjacent to an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) in Edinburgh. The AQMA includes a street often referred to as one of the worst polluted streets in Scotland. The ECP will be REHIS and IFEH badged and the legacy created will demonstrate a commitment to improving external air quality. Any surplus from the installation of the ECP will be used to co-fund a local air quality project with staff and students at two local primary schools.

To find out more visit the IFEH website World Environmental Health Day

REHIS’s Environmental Health Promotion Committee is inviting members to participate in their publication review survey and submit their views regarding the Institute’s publications.

The Institute produces a number of publications.

The highest profile of these publications is the quarterly journal Environmental Health Scotland and over the past few years have also published a monthly electronic newsletter.

A variety of other documents are published on a more ad hoc basis promoting the Institute and/or environmental health more generally.

The Environmental Health Promotion Committee is reviewing the Institute’s publications strategy and is keen to get an insight into the views of the membership.

The link to the on line survey has been sent to members who have signed up to e-alerts and to receive email updates from REHIS.

If you are a Member and not on the list yet you can sign up here.

The Drinking Water Quality Regulator for Scotland (DWQR) has established a project to review policy to drive achievement of a reduction of exposure to lead in drinking water. The project seeks to identify enablers and strengthen or introduce mechanisms with a range of stakeholders and influencers for the removal of lead service pipes and plumbing.

In drinking water quality legislation, the limit for lead in drinking water has progressively reduced over the past 30 years to 10µg/l (micrograms per litre). Over the same period however, concerns have developed within Scotland’s health professional community that even the 10 standard may be too high and there is an increasing view that we should strive to reduce lead levels in drinking water as far as is practicably possible.

The specific aims of the project are to:

• Ensure there is a clear and shared understanding of legislation as it relates to duties on drinking water suppliers

• Engage with health officials to identify common themes and to align drinking water quality policy with health policy

• Work with stakeholders to identify areas where policy can be aligned to ensure the risk of exposure to lead in the environment is minimised

• Investigate the various policy options available and work with our SG colleagues in determining the best way forward

A clear area of focus for the project has been to review information provided by key stakeholders on lead.This revealed a substantial variation in the existence of any information at all, across influencer organisations. Where it existed, the quality of information varied and its accessibility presented a confused position to anyone needing to find out about the issue in Scotland. A significant element therefore has been to establish clear and authoritative information on the impact of lead on health. This is now hosted on the NHS Inform website and all stakeholders have taken on board the need to have on their own websites, agreed signposting information and links to the NHS Inform information.

A key sector of consumers at risk from lead in drinking water are children and babies. They absorb more lead than adults due to their growing bones and other organs within which lead can be deposited and accumulate as they develop. It is important therefore that we can have certainty that Schools and Nursery premises are free from lead. It is believed that attention to the removal of lead had been carried out in the past but in support of the project, local authorities have undertaken surveys of all their owned properties to ensure there is certainty around the issue.

A further survey is to be undertaken on behalf of DWQR to ensure a similar lead free status can be confidently expressed for all private schools and independent nursery premises.

The Care Inspectorate has been an integral part of the drive to ensure the risk of exposure to lead within care premises is addressed and they have adopted measures in their design principles for nursery provision and registration of new care services to ensure the importance of having a lead free water supply is actioned. Their Summer 2017 edition of Care News carries an item highlighting the issues.

As part of the drive to provide clearer information to consumers, Scottish Water has reviewed all of its’ letters and information leaflets relating to lead.

In conjunction with Scottish & Northern Ireland Plumbing Employers Federation (SNIPEF), and the Water Regulations Advisory Scheme (WRAS) they have produced a briefing note for housing Developers to raise awareness of the need to check for lead pipes and the removal of pipes and fittings where they are found. The note also highlights the illegality of using leaded solder on water supply pipework within the home and promotes awareness of the dangers of lead arising from the use of inferior quality brass fittings and taps.

Key stakeholder and influencer organisations identified for communications and contributions in relation to the project include: Scottish Government Health, Health Protection Scotland, Care Inspectorate, CPHMs, EHOs, REHIS, SG Water Industry, Scottish Water, SG Procurement, SG Housing, SHBVN, SG Building Standards, SG Estate, Historic Environment Scotland, Citizens Advice Scotland, COSLA. Shelter Scotland, SNIPEF, WRAS.

If you require further information or wish to provide comment, please contact DWQR; Telephone: 0131 244 0190 e-mail: regulator@dwqr.scot

Food Standards Scotland (FSS) have published their Regulatory Strategy setting out the organisation’s central role in supporting and regulating the food sector in Scotland.

This is following a consultation where the FSS asked respondents for their views on the draft regulatory strategy. Respondents were broadly supportive of the proposed regulatory approach, and provided detailed views on areas of possible change highlighted in the consultation.

Consultation responses were used to refine the final regulatory strategy, which was considered and agreed by FSS at their open Board meeting on 17 May 2017. The consultation summary can be viewed here.

The work undertaken in supporting and regulating the food sector supports the delivery of one of FSS’s strategic priorities: allowing responsible food businesses to flourish. Food businesses that operate responsibly and protect consumers’ interests should benefit from risk-based and proportionate regulation, whilst effective, proportionate and dissuasive action should be taken with those businesses that do not step up to their responsibilities to consumers.

Scotland has a thriving food and drink sector with a reputation for excellence both at home and abroad. FSS has an important role to play in supporting that reputation by ensuring the sector is underpinned by a robust regulatory system for food safety and standards, whether operating in the domestic, EU or wider global markets.

Looking ahead, the Regulatory Strategy provides a framework for modernising the food and feed regulatory system in Scotland so it can remain robust, effective and sustainable for the future.

The Scottish and Welsh environment ministers have pledged to work together to resist the UK Government’s attempt to take control of devolved powers.

Environment Roseanna Cunningham met with her Welsh counterpart Lesley Griffiths in Cardiff to discuss their concerns that the EU Withdrawal Bill will damage efforts to protect and enhance the environment.

Ms Cunningham highlighted her fears that areas such as climate change and the circular economy, where the Scottish Government has set itself more ambitious targets than the UK Government, will suffer if UK-wide policies are imposed rather than negotiated.

Around 80% of Scots environmental law originated at EU level. This includes legislation around waste management, pollution and regulations, biodiversity, flooding and drink water quality.

Ms Cunningham said:
“My message has been clear and consistent – the Scottish Government will steadfastly adhere to its environmental commitments, despite the growing threat of a hard Brexit. That is why we are joining with our Welsh counterparts to urge the UK Government to ditch this ill-conceived power grab.

“Imposing a UK-wide framework for the environment risks undermining the significant progress Scotland has made, which has seen us win international recognition for our work on climate change and the circular economy.

“We are not opposed in principle to UK-wide frameworks in certain areas but this must be through agreement – not imposition.

“Protecting devolution will allow us to drive forward our ambitious work to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, enhance environmental standards and create a cleaner, greener Scotland for everyone.”

Ms Griffiths said:
“Devolution has enabled the Welsh Government to deliver ground-breaking legislation for the people of Wales, which delivers on international obligations and has been recognised as cutting-edge by a number of international institutions. The approach presented by the UK Government in the Withdrawal Bill could significantly undermine this progress.

“Our approach has not been about trading off agriculture and the environment, it’s about both. You can’t have one without the other. The Bill as it stands has the potential to seriously impact on this approach by locking us into an outdated framework while also removing our ability to bring forward reforms.

“This is why, like Scotland, we want EU powers in devolved areas to come straight to Wales. Welcoming my Scottish counterpart to Wales today will allow us to continue to work together to develop a strong future which benefits everyone.”

Meanwhile Environment Secretary Michael Gove has claimed that Brexit plans could enhance environmental protection, saying the UK could be a “global leader in environmental policy” outside of the EU.

He said there could be changes to the operation of some rules, but said any change would be “designed to ensure we get better protection for the environment”.

He said: “I have no intention of weakening the environmental protections that we have put in place while in the European Union.

“Informed by rigorous scientific analysis, we can develop global gold standard policies on pesticides and chemicals, habitat management and biodiversity, animal welfare and biosecurity, soil protection and river management and indeed in many other areas. We can take smarter and more targeted approaches to the improvements that we want to see.”

Background

The Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 sets targets to reduce Scotland’s greenhouse gas emissions by at least 42 per cent by 2020, compared to the UK target of at least 34 per cent. Unlike the UK, international aviation and shipping are included in Scotland’s statutory targets.

The Scottish Government is currently consulting on ambitious proposals for a Climate Change Bill that include raising the ambition of Scotland’s 2050 emissions reduction target.

The Scottish Government won “The Circulars” Award for Circular Economy Governments, Nations and Regions at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January 2017. The award reflects leadership in driving a circular economy in Scotland, with clear impact and ambitious targets.

Scientists at Edinburgh Napier have revealed that air pollution can make people more vulnerable to infection.

A team led by immunology expert Dr Peter Barlow has demonstrated for the first time that nano-sized particles found in traffic fumes can damage the immune system’s ability to kill viruses and bacteria.

While the potential link between air pollution and illness has been the subject of much debate, the work at Edinburgh Napier University is the first to show this effect and has significant human health implications.

The development is expected to prompt calls for the government to step up efforts to tackle air pollution following its recently announced plans to ban the sale of new diesel and petrol cars by 2040.

The Edinburgh Napier study focused on ‘antimicrobial peptides’, tiny molecules found in the immune systems of humans and animals which increase in response to infection.

Researchers at the School of Applied Sciences recently revealed these peptides have virus-killing properties which could prove crucial in developing a cure for the common cold.

However, the new paper, published in The Journal of Immunology, reveals that particles found in air pollution can prevent peptides working properly.

Study Director Dr Barlow and researcher Dr Fern Findlay, working in collaboration with the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Midlothian-based Moredun Research Institute, found carbon particles could trigger changes in the antimicrobial peptides, potentially resulting in “an increased susceptibility to infection”.

The implications are profound for people living in areas of high air pollution, who breathe in huge concentrations of particles every day or absorb them through skin contact, especially those with pre-existing lung conditions like asthma or COPD.

Scotland now has 38 Air Quality Management Areas and air pollution is estimated to cause the early death of 2,500 people in Scotland. The paper can be read here.

Additional powers have been given to Glasgow City Council to tackle housing conditions in the private rented sector in Govanhill.

An application has been approved to designate a further 14 tenement blocks in Govanhill as an Enhanced Enforcement Area (EEA). It follows a previous EEA granted in the area in 2015 covering four tenement blocks.

The new powers permit the right of entry to properties that are subject to complaints from residents about the way they are being managed by private landlords. This will help the council identify persistent problems including poor environmental standards and overcrowding.

Other powers include the ability to obtain an Enhanced Criminal Record check from private landlords and request documents for inspection, such as gas and electrical safety certificates.

Scotland achieved Officially Tuberculosis Free Status (OTF) in September 2009. OTF is recognition of the relatively low and stable incidence of TB found in Scottish herds. This status also provided the Scottish Government with the flexibility to design a dedicated and original TB surveillance programme for the Scottish national herd and as a result, 1 January 2012 saw the introduction of a new risk-based TB testing policy in Scotland whereby ‘low risk’ herds became exempt from four-yearly routine herd testing.

The first four-year testing cycle was completed on 31 December 2015 and a subsequent review of the scheme criteria has shown that there is scope to safely increase the number of herds eligible for exemption without adversely affecting the ability to detect infected herds. The ‘low risk’ selection criteria will therefore change with effect from 1 January 2017.

The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) reassesses all herds annually and is responsible for notifying cattle keepers in Scotland whether or not their herds are exempt from routine TB testing. The letters to inform Scottish cattle keepers of their testing requirements for 2017 were issued by APHA on 22 August 2016.

In response to the identification of bovine TB in a herd on the Isle of Skye, and a further outbreak in a herd south of the border in Cumbria, the Scottish Government issued an updating summary of the situation on 11 August which can be accessed here.

Source: Scottish Government webpage: http://www.gov.scot/Topics/farmingrural/Agriculture/animal-welfare/Diseases/disease/tuberculosis

Organisations across Scotland are being encouraged to host events and raise awareness of the impact of climate change as part of Climate Week 2017.

Running from 18–22 September, Scotland’s Climate Week will highlight the actions people and organisations can take together to reduce emissions and adapt to a changing climate.

Activities could range from having climate conversations, hosting seminars and educational sessions, to sustainable travel fairs to encourage people to cycle or walk to work. Organisations can also team up with Climate Challenge Fund groups, which are delivering climate actions including energy efficiency improvements, low carbon travel options, community growing initiatives and schemes to tackle waste.

Information on participating in Climate Week 2017 is available here.

West Lothian Council has been fined £10,000 for health and safety failings, which left a worker with severe injuries.

The local authority pleaded guilty to a single charge under the Work at Height Regulations 2005 at Livingston Sheriff Court.

The court heard on 9 July 2013 a painter for the council was painting external window frames in Bathgate. The ladder he was on slid away from the wall and he fell more than four metres. The painter suffered serious injuries to his left hip and leg and eight fractures to his knee.

The court was told an alloy tower or podium steps should have been used given the level of risk involved and the duration for which employees were expected to use the equipment.

The court also heard ladder mates, designed to stop the ladder slipping, and a limpet device to prevent lateral movement had not been supplied.

The council accepted it failed to properly plan and supervise the work. The council has since overhauled its system for working at height and has revised its system for working at height since the incident and developed a new working at height risk assessment template.

Laura Buchan, head of Crown Office’s health and safety division, said: “This incident could easily have been prevented had suitable and sufficient measures been put in place.

“Falls from height are one of the greatest single causes of death and serious injury to workers within the construction industry.

“Hopefully this prosecution and the sentence will remind other employers that failure to fulfil their obligations can have tragic consequences and that they will be held to account for their failings.”

STEC in Scotland 2016 Health Protection Scotland (HPS) have published a surveillance report for “STEC in Scotland 2016: enhanced surveillance and reference laboratory date”. Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC), also known as Verotoxigenic Escherichia coli (VTEC), are a group of bacteria which can cause gastrointestinal illness in humans.

Although large foodborne outbreaks have occurred in Scotland, sporadic infection predominates. The potential for E. coli O157 to cause both secondary spread and large outbreaks is exacerbated by its low infectious dose and asymptomatic infection can also occur.

Reported rates of Escherichia coli O157 (E. coli O157) infection in Scotland rose substantially in the mid-1990s and remain consistently high compared to other countries within the UK and Europe.

HPS undertake enhanced surveillance of STEC in close collaboration with the Scottish E.coli 0157/VTEC Reference Laboratory (SERL) and NHS board health protection teams. Data are also integrated with other surveillance systems, in particular ObSurv, the system for the surveillance of all general outbreaks of infectious intestinal disease.

Diagnostic laboratories investigate all diarrhoeal faeces for the presence of E. coli O157 and refer isolates to the SERL for confirmation and further typing. STEC of serogroup O157 are the only STEC for which routine standard tests are performed in diagnostic laboratories. Under national guidelines, faeces from high-risk patients testing negative at the local laboratory are sent to SERL where more sensitive methods are used for detection and isolation of STEC.

The number of E. coli O157 cases reported in Scotland increased slightly in 2016 with 181 faecal positive cases notified to HPS in 2016 compared to 170 reported in 2015. This was in keeping with the expected year-to-year variation.

The 181 positive cases ranged from under one to over 80 years old and children under ages 16 accounting for 33% of cases.

As in most years, cases tend to peak in the summer months. Most infections occurred in the second and third quarters of the year, with 73% of cases occurring in this time period.

The majority of cases in 2016 were apparently sporadic cases, which has been historically the case in Scotland. There was also five general outbreaks of STEC reported to ObSurv. This is similar to the number of STEC outbreaks reported in previous years, with five in 2015 and seven in 2014. All five outbreaks in 2016 were identified as serogroup O157. For three of the outbreaks the suspected mode of transmission was considered to be mainly foodborne, one was due to drinking untreated water and for one outbreak the mode of transmission was not confirmed.

Despite the variation in the number of cases seen annually, the consistently high rates of STEC infection reported in Scotland as compared to other UK countries reinforces the need for the continued and comprehensive application of the wide range of existing control measures embedded in food safety and other guidance in Scotland. In addition, it highlights the importance of a comprehensive multi-agency approach to tackling STEC in Scotland as set out in the VTEC Action Plan for Scotland. A multi-agency implementation group has been set up to deliver the recommendations within the Action Plan and is due to report in 2018.

The MET Office have published their third annual “State of the UK Climate” report which shows 2016 was the 13th warmest year with records starting back to 1910.

2016 has been 0.5oC warmer than average and the last decade 0.3oC warmer (1981-2010) over the UK as a whole and for many it was also sunny with sunshine levels 4% above the 30 year average (1981-2010) for the UK overall.

Mark McCarthy, Head of the Met Office’s National Climate Information Centre, said: “Although 2016 may not be regarded as remarkable for temperature, it does feature within a notable decade for temperature records. The trend towards warmer temperatures is clear, but of course natural variation in our climate will always mean that increases are not always even year on year.”

As far as UK precipitation is concerned the report shows that 2016 as a whole had 95% of expected rainfall. Winter 2016 was the second-wettest winter on record for the UK in records dating back to 1910, with winter 2014 wettest. In contrast, the second half of the year was notably dry.

December showed to be a mild month particularly in Scotland where anomalies exceeded 2.5oC making it comparably mild to December 2015. The number of days of air frost for the UK for 2016 was 50 days, which is 5 days below the 1981-2010 average. This was largely due to fewer frosts than normal in January and December, especially across Scotland.

Although we saw some snow during 2016 it was not a particularly snowy year for the UK overall and it was the first year on record from 1959 where there was no observed snow depths of 20 cm or more.

Figures show that in the past few decades there has been an increase in annual average rainfall over the UK, particularly over Scotland with the last decade 11% wetter than 1961–1990 average and 4% wetter than 1981-2010 average.

The report provides a summary of the UK weather and climate through the calendar year 2016 and is the third annual ‘State of the UK climate’ produced by the Met Office. It provides an accessible, authoritative and up-to-date assessment of UK climate trends, variations and extremes based on the latest available climate quality observational datasets.