06.10.16
Over half of councils do not monitor air quality outside schools
Children’s lungs are at risk because councils are failing to systematically monitor air quality near schools, according to the British Lung Foundation (BLF).
Freedom of Information requests by the charity found that 182 of 322 councils, or 57%, did not have air quality monitors outside schools.
Furthermore, 73 local authorities, or 24%, said they did not prioritise schools for placement of air quality monitors.
Dr Penny Woods, BLF’s chief executive, said: “Children’s lung health is particularly vulnerable to air pollution, yet they are not being protected by the government’s air quality monitoring guidance.
“There is a huge discrepancy in the levels of monitoring outside schools across the country, with many schools in the most harmfully polluted places not being monitored.”
She added that children exposed to air pollution are up to five times more likely to have poor lung development. Air pollution can affect children with asthma and other conditions and contribute to breathing problems in healthy children.
The BLF’s research showed that 47% of areas in the UK identified by the World Health Organisation as having harmful levels of dangerous particulate pollution are monitoring just one or two schools. Only 30% are monitoring more than two schools.
BLF has launched a new petition calling on the government to ensure councils monitor air pollution levels at all schools in high-pollution areas, and make the findings accessible to parents and teachers.
Russell Hobby, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, which is backing the BLF campaign, said: “Children and teaching staff are not being made fully aware of the health risks posed by air pollution. This is not good enough.”
A spokesperson for the LGA said councils are following national guidelines on air pollution, which require them to “take a risk-based approach” and only monitor locations which are most at risk.
They added: “The real issue is that councils need more powers to switch their focus from simply monitoring to devising solutions to tackle poor air quality. This needs to be supported by government policy at a national level.”
The BLF is also campaigning for the government to introduce a new Clean Air Act which brings together existing laws on air quality and preserves EU limits on pollution after the UK leaves the EU.
In April, the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee released a report which found that EU limits on nitrogen dioxide are already being breached in 38 out of 43 areas. It linked 40,000 – 50,000 early deaths a year to the ‘public health emergency’ of air pollution.
The BLF backed the report’s recommendation for a network of clean air zones, particularly in cities with the highest levels of pollution.
(Image c. Frank Augstein from AP/ Press Association Images)
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