Minister says Icelandic volcanic ash cloud will not affect Scot human health

Edinburgh (Scotland), Apr.19 (ANI): Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond has said that dust from the volcanic ash cloud coming from Iceland presents no risk to health, agriculture or the environment of his country.

He said ongoing analysis of dust samples by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) had identified no current danger to human health.

But, according to The Scotsman, health experts have advised those with respiratory conditions, such as asthma, to keep medication to hand when they are outdoors.

Environmental monitoring, using information from the network of 75 air and 25 radioactivity-monitoring sites across Scotland, is set to continue.

Yesterday, Salmond said: "SEPA's ongoing analysis of volcanic dust has shown that it contains no harmful material and presents no risk at present to public health, agriculture or the wider environment."

The First Minister's comments came after a meeting of the Scottish Government Resilience Cabinet sub-committee (SGoRR). (ANI)