HPS publish annual gastrointestinal surveillance reports for 2018
- 26 May 2019
Health Protection Scotland (HPS) published the following gastrointestinal surveillance reports for 2018: Hepatitis A In 2018, there were 34 cases of Hepatitis A reported to HPS. This is lower than that reported in 2017 when 153 cases were reported. However, these reports in 2017 included 91 cases associated with a foodborne outbreak of Hepatitis A […]
Traffic-free days begin in Edinburgh
- 26 May 2019
On the Sunday 5 May roads in the centre of Edinburgh were closed to traffic for the first time as the city joined the Open Streets movement to reduce air pollution. It is the first city in the UK to join the Open Streets movement, a movement which has seen cities around the world temporarily […]
Acrylamide in food guidance
- 25 May 2019
New guidelines have been published for acrylamide in food by Food Standards Scotland in partnership with SFELC Food Safety and Food Standards Sub Committees. The guidelines are intended to help authorised officers with the implementation and interpretation of Commission Regulation (EU) 2017/2158. Commission Regulation (EU) 2017/2158 was published following a full Scientific Opinion produced by […]
East Renfrewshire Council raise allergen awareness with short video
- 20 May 2019
Environmental Health at East Renfrewshire Council have created a short video in a bid to raise awareness of allergen information requirements for food businesses. The video aimed at food businesses and consumers aims to ensure that they are aware of the allergen requirements and they can trust the food they buy and are protected. The […]
Clean Air Day website launched
- 20 May 2019
Clean Air Day Scotland website has now gone live and the toolkits can be downloaded from here. Clean Air Day is happening on Thursday 20 June 2019. The website brings together years of experience and expert advice to create lots of free resources which will contribute to the success of Clean Air Day.
REHIS welcomes Burnright to Annual Environmental Health Forum
- 15 May 2019
At the recent REHIS Annual Environmental Health forum at New Lanark delegates had the pleasure of welcoming Lawson Wight from the Burnright campaign. Burnright is the national consumer awareness campaign to promote efficient domestic burning. Many consumers are unaware that the way they use their fuels and fires can make a big difference to air […]
Smoke levels in Scottish jails fell by 80% following prison tobacco ban
- 14 May 2019
Levels of second-hand smoke in Scotland’s prisons fell by more than 80 percent in the week after smoking was banned, according to new University of Stirling research. The study confirms the positive impact of the smoke-free policy, introduced in November 2018, on the air quality within Scotland’s 15 prisons. The researchers compared smoke levels to measurements […]
Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme announced
- 8 May 2019
Scotland is the first country in the UK to announce its plans for a deposit return scheme for drinks containers. Scotland’s new Deposit Return Scheme will include aluminium and steel cans as well as drinks containers made of glass and Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic with a 20p deposit as part of plans to combat climate […]
Health claims on packaging for foods marketed to children are ‘confusing’, says study
- 21 April 2019
The health claims made on the product packaging for a large proportion of foods marketed to children in the UK are 'confusing', and could be contributing to increases rates of childhood obesity, suggests research published online in the journal Archives of Disease in Childhood. University of Glasgow researchers examined products with child-focused imagery and health and […]
Renewable electricity at record levels in Scotland
- 21 April 2019
Renewable electricity generation in Scotland reached record levels in 2018. The latest figures from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) show, the equivalent of 74.6% of gross electricity consumption was from renewable sources. Generation in Scotland was 26,708 GWh, a 6.1% increase on the previous record in 2017. This output of electricity […]
London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone comes into force
- 21 April 2019
The world’s first Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) came into force in London on Monday 8 April. Shortly after it came into operation in London the Mayor, Sadiq Khan, revealed it has already reduced harmful pollution levels. The Mayor’s office reported that concentrations of roadside N02 have been reduced in the zone by 20% and […]
Fife beach closed by sewage spill twice in one week
- 20 April 2019
Anstruther beach in Fife was closed to the public at the start of the Easter weekend as Scottish Water worked to contain a sewage spill. This was the second time in the space of a week that access to the beach was restricted due to a spill. On 15 April, people were told to avoid […]
