Children in London almost four times more likely to go to school in area with toxic air
More than 1.2 million children in London are going to school in areas where air pollution exceeds the World Health Organisation limit.
Last updated 16th Aug 2021
Figures show more than 1.2 million children in London are going to school in areas where air pollution exceeds the World Health Organisation limit.
New City Hall analysis reveals that children in London are four times more likely to go to school in areas with high levels pollution levels that exceed World Health Organization (WHO) limits, than children in the rest of England.
This poor air quality stunts the growth of children’s lungs and worsens chronic illnesses, such as asthma, lung and heart disease.
This new analysis has found 3.1m English children are attending schools in areas exceeding WHO limits for particulate matter (PM2.5).
This new analysis of the national Government data for annual average PM2.5 in 2019 also shows that, before the pandemic:
. More than 1.2 million children in London attended schools in areas that exceeded WHO limits for PM2.5 – more than 700,000 of them are of primary school age
. 98 per cent of state primary and secondary schools in London were in areas that exceeded WHO limits, compared with 24 per cent outside of London.
. On average, PM2.5 concentrations were a third (33 per cent) higher at schools in London than in the rest of England.
. Of the 30 local authorities with the highest PM2.5 at schools, all but two were London boroughs.
. The average concentration around schools in London (12 µgm-3) is more than double the average concentration in Cumbria (5.2 µgm-3), the local authority with schools in the areas with the lowest concentrations of toxic air.
A landmark study of the impact of London’s air pollution found children growing up in polluted parts of the capital showed significantly smaller lung volume, with a loss of approximately five per cent in lung capacity - equivalent to two large eggs - compared to their peers in the rest of England.
The research by King’s College London, Queen Mary University of London and the University of Edinburgh monitored children from 28 schools in Tower Hamlets, Hackney, Greenwich and the City of London which fail to meet EU nitrogen dioxide limits.
Another recent study by Imperial College, commissioned by City Hall, found that the Mayor of London’s air quality policies and wider improvements in air pollution will increase the average life expectancy of a child born in London in 2013 by six months.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said:
“For too long it has been accepted that children growing up in London will breathe more polluted air than their friends and family outside this great city.
"But I don’t accept this.
"I’m doing everything in my power to stop young Londoners breathing air so filthy that it damages their lungs and causes thousands of premature deaths every year.
"This is why I’m expanding the Ultra Low Emission Zone later this year.
“I want to make sure all of London meets the World Health Organization limits for particulate matter. But I can’t do it alone and I want to work with Government to achieve this goal.
"That’s why I’m asking for the new Environment Bill to include legally binding WHO recommended limits to be achieved by 2030. We can’t sleep walk from the health crisis of COVID back into complacency over the major impact of toxic air on everyone’s health.”
Harriet Edwards, Senior Policy and Projects Manager, Air Quality, at Asthma UK and the British Lung Foundation, said:
"Each year, the capital’s poor air quality contributes to around 1,000 emergency hospital admissions for children with asthma and other respiratory conditions.
"Children should feel safe when they are at school, but instead they are being exposed to dangerous levels of air pollution which could be damaging their lungs and future prospects.
"For the tens of thousands of children living with existing lung conditions, breathing dirty air could trigger a life-threatening asthma attack or exacerbation. That’s why we welcome the expanded ULEZ to help make more of London’s schools safer and more inclusive for children with all types of lung disease.”
Helen Hayes MP, Vice-Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Groups (APPG) on Air Pollution, said:
“London’s toxic air is an urgent public health issue which demands action.
"The Mayor and our local councils are already working hard to enable school streets and encourage cycling and walking. The Mayor's decision to expand the ULEZ is an important measure which will deliver further improvements in air quality.
"We also need the Government to step up to invest in a comprehensive air quality action plan including a scrappage scheme to move further and faster to clean up our air.”