16 August 2021
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4 min read
London's ULEZ is set to expand to an area 18 times its existing size in October 2021
London Mayor calls for increased air pollution measures as new analysis reveals that London school children are four times more likely to be exposed to PM2.5
Millions of children are attending schools in areas of England which suffer from dangerously high levels of particle pollution, with pupils in London particularly at risk, according to analysis released today by City Hall.
Analysis of national data for annual average fine particulate matter emissions (PM2.5) in 2019 indicates 3.1 million children in England attend schools in areas with levels of PM2.5 which exceed limits recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO), according to the London Mayor's office.
Moreover, it said the data showed that children in London are four times more likely to attend schools in highly polluted areas than those across the rest of England.
Poor air quality from particles and nitrogen dioxide - largely caused by road traffic - has been linked to a host of adverse health impacts in children, including stunting lung growth and exacerbating condutions such as asthma, lung and heat disease.
Other key findings from the analysis show that 98 per cent of state schools in London are in areas that exceed WHO limits for PM2.5, compared with 24 per cent outside of London, while 700,000 of the 1.2 million children in London attending those schools are of primary school age.
The data also revealed that PM2.5 concentrations were 33 per cent higher at schools in London than elsewhere in England while the average concentration of PM2.5 around schools in London was more than double the average concentration in Cumbria, which had the lowest concentration of toxic air in schools.
The research has been released by the Mayor of London to promote his plans to expand London's Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) in October beyond the centre of the capital - as it operates at present - meaning that fossil fuel vehicles travelling anywhere within the area circled by the North and South Circular roads will be liable to pay a charge.
Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, said the data on air pollution and its impacts on children in the capital's schools provided yet more evidence of the need to tighten the ULEZ alongside other efforts to boost air quality. "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," he said. "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."
The expansion of ULEZ coupled up with the tightening of the Low Emission Zone for heavy vehicles earlier in the year is expected to reduce PM2.5 exhaust emissions by 35 per cent in inner London, according to City Hall.
The central ULEZ has already contributed to 44 per cent reduction in harmful NO2 and a 27 per cent reduction in PM2.5, helping to cut the number of schools located in areas with illegal levels of nitrogen dioxide by 97 per cent, from 455 schools in 2016 to 14 in 2019. it added.
Khan also reiterated his call for the government to include the WHO air pollution limits in its flagship Environment Bill, set to come into action later in the year, and his request for additional powers and resources to accelerate the implementation of air pollution policies in the capital.
"I want to make sure all of London meets the World Health Organisation limits for particulate matter," said Khan. "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."
Each year, around 1,000 hospital admissions for children with asthma and respiratory conditions are attributed to poor air quality. Research also shows that Londoners exposed to the worst air pollution are more likely to be from Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities.
Nick Bowes, chief executive of the Centre for London think tank, welcomed the Mayor's plans to expand the ULEZ, but urged City Hall to go futher still to tackle other sources of pollution beyond road vehicles.
"Raising children in London shouldn't damage their health but these shocking figures from City Hall show that it does," he said. "Successive mayors have promised to do more to tackle this crisis but London still exceeds legal air pollution limits many times over. Around half of air pollution comes from road transport, so we must find new ways to significantly reduce vehicle-related pollution. The expansion of the Ultra Low Emission Zone in the autumn will be a huge step, but City Hall could be bolder and adopt a pay-per-mile road user charging scheme which would deliver cleaner air, increase active travel and reduce congestion, as well as provide a substantial income stream to help plug Transport for London's finances."
