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'Alarming' figures reveal 1,973 schools in London have air pollution levels that can harm children's health

Document Cited in Related
Vincent
Date18 June 2021
Published date18 June 2021
Publication titleMyLondon (England)
The research, from charity Global Action Plan, found that 27 per cent of UK schools are in areas with air pollution above WHO limits for the pollutant PM2.5 -fine particles released from burning fuel and chemical reactions that take place in the atmosphere.

A quarter of those schools, 1,973 to be exact, are in London.

These fine particles, which come from various sources including exhaust fumes, solid-fuel stoves, agricultural emissions and dust from car brake pads, pose a huge health risk, as they can get deep into lungs and some may even get into the bloodstream.

The worst impacted boroughs are Lambeth and Southwark 158 schools, Romford 146, Croydon 129, Twickenham 119, Brixton 116 and Ilford 95.

READ MORE: 'We cannot return to normal': Lewisham mum's urgent appeal as daughter, 9, died after asthma left her hospitalised 27 times

Children are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of poor air quality, as they spend a significant amount of time at school.

Polluted air can harm children's health by causing or triggering asthma, damaging lung development, and affecting their ability to learn, according to the charity.

More widely, air pollution can trigger strokes, heart and asthma attacks, and cause cancer.

The news that schoolchildren are working in dangerous levels of air pollution comes after a landmark case in which air pollution was found to have contributed to the death of nine-year-old Ella Adoo-Kissi-Debrah, who suffered a fatal asthma attack in 2013.

Her mother, Rosamund, told PA she is 'sad and disappointed' over the wait to bring in new legal limits for pollutants.

The government aims to bring in new legal targets for particulate matter pollution by October 2022.

But Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah said action is needed now to prevent other children dying the same way hers did.

Rosamund said: “I’m sad and disappointed...

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