Every new school in England is being built in an area with unsafe levels of air pollution, leaving thousands of children to experience ‘alarmingly poor’ air quality, a damning report says. according to.
Children are particularly vulnerable to the harmful effects of air pollution because their bodies, organs and immune systems are still developing.
The analysis found that nearly nine out of 10 planned new school sites exceed three of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) targets for major air pollutants. And every school violates at least one of his guidelines.
the study, Published in the journal “Childhood Disease Archive”suggests that thousands of children entering new schools face a major threat to their health as they are more susceptible to air pollution.
The study, led by Evelina London Children’s Hospital and King’s College London (KCL), calls for air quality assessments to be required at the planning stage of new school building proposals, and for national guidance and legislation to be updated. .
“We hope this study will influence school proponents, designers, and national policy,” the researchers wrote. “Children should be protected from avoidable harm while at school.”
The WHO’s Global Air Quality Guidelines (AQG) set numerical targets for annual exposure to key pollutants such as fine particulate matter (PM2.5, PM10) and nitrogen dioxide (NO).2).
Researchers identified 187 new schools to be built in the UK between 2017 and 2025, with sites acquired for 147 of them. They assessed the air quality of these facilities against WHO air quality targets for PM2.5, PM10, and NO.2also against pollution levels across the UK.
The analysis found that 86% (126 of 147 schools) exceeded all three WHO targets, with all school locations exceeding at least one.
The study found that average PM2.5 readings across all facilities were more than double the levels recommended by the WHO.
Pollutant levels were particularly high in sites in London, Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds, but relatively low in other large cities such as Liverpool, Bristol and Newcastle.
The analysis found that sites in Devon and Cornwall counties had the lowest levels of contaminants.
The researchers used annual averages to estimate air pollution levels at the new school site, and noted that more detailed data incorporating different times of day and seasonality would provide a more detailed picture. Admitted.
But they concluded that the air quality around new schools approved and proposed to open in England is “alarmingly poor”.
The authors conclude that ‘the public health impact of avoidable exposure to poor air quality during childhood is likely to have a significant impact on both population quality-adjusted life years and financial health spending in the UK. “There is,” he said.
The researchers called on the Department for Education to update its guidance on new school proposals to require air quality assessments at the proposal stage.
They added that planning regulations need to be updated to ensure that air quality is included in the public consultation process and that the design of buildings and sites minimizes the impact of air pollution on children.
“Unless current recommendations are replaced by mandatory standards, new schools should not be proposed or The person designing it is unlikely to make these assessments.”
