DANGEROUS amounts of air pollution in built-up areas are putting workers’ health at risk, the GMB union said yesterday.

It called for improved monitoring of air quality in town and city centres at its annual congress in Nottingham, after a new study found that workers were being exposed to “dangerous” levels.

Street cleaners, refuse workers and parking staff are among workers at risk from high levels of pollutants.

Research for the union found unsafe levels in areas including parts of London, Cambridge, Aberdeen, Bath, Glasgow, Leeds, Manchester, Birmingham and Chepstow.

The GMB said councils should be doing more to identify the areas and times of day when the problem is worse and to inform local people.

The study measured levels of nitrogen dioxide in the air using data from 110 official monitoring stations across Britain.

GMB national officer John McClean said: “These figures on nitrogen dioxide confirm the urgent need for better air quality monitoring in urban and built-up areas. Clean air should be a right, not a privilege.

“Road transport is a major cause of air pollution. Even though engine technology is improving, these exposure levels are still dangerously high and place workers and the public at increased risk of respiratory diseases.

“We reiterate our call for high-polluting vehicles to be banned from city centres and for local authorities to take immediate action in priority areas such as near schools, hospitals and doctors’ surgeries.”

The union said street cleaning and refuse collection routes should be changed to avoid times when air pollution is worst.