Nearly every London school in high air pollution area, report says – BBC News
BBC News16 August
Almost every London school is in an area where air pollution levels exceed World Health Organization limits, City Hall analysis suggests.
Figures show 98% of schools are in areas with toxic air quality, compared with 24% outside the capital.
Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah whose nine-year-old daughter died from pollution said “it was like lessons had not been learned”.
Across England 3.1m schoolchildren are affected.
Excessive levels of air pollution can stunt lung growth and worsen chronic diseases.
The analysis is based on figures from 2019, before the pandemic struck the UK.
City Hall said it shows the average concentration of particulate matter was a third higher at schools in London than in the rest of England.
Of the 30 local authorities with the highest particulate matter at schools, all but two were London boroughs.
