- In England over one million under 18s and nearly three quarters of a million under 12s live in neighbourhoods where air pollution is double recommended health standards. There are 1,737 schools in these areas.
New Analysis by Friends of the Earth of the latest available air pollution data reveals that there are 2,546 neighbourhoods in England where average air pollution levels are double World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines for at least one of two of the deadliest air pollutants.
More than a million children under 18 live in these areas where levels of either Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) or particulate matter (PM2.5), or both, are twice the recommended levels.
Of the 1,737 schools in these neighbourhoods, where levels of both these deadly air pollutants are double the WHO guidelines.
Air pollution is one of the UK’s biggest killers, causing up to 36,000 early deaths in the UK every year. Road traffic is the biggest threat to clean air, and the major source of the toxic gas nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in the air we breathe.
Road vehicles also produce tiny particles, known as particulate matter (PMs) both from exhaust fumes and wear and tear from brakes and tyres. These can find their way deep into our lungs and even into our bloodstream and organs.
Air pollution hits the most vulnerable the hardest, particularly children who can grow up with reduced lung function if living in an area with poor air quality, but also the elderly who are more likely to have a pre-existing condition worsened by bad air.
The data also found that people of colour are three times more likely to live in these high air pollution neighbourhoods and half of these neighbourhoods are among the most deprived in England. People living in these areas are also three times less likely to own a car than people living in other areas, meaning they are contributing the least to poor air quality.
While this analysis identifies the most polluted neighbourhoods, much of England and Wales suffers from bad air pollution, with 97% of neighbourhoods above the World Health Organisation guidelines for PM2.5s and 50% for NO2.
Meanwhile, the extent of the problem could be far worse as the analysis is based on the latest air pollution data available which is from 2020, when traffic levels were lower due to Covid-19 lockdown measures. Furthermore, the data is based on average pollution levels within neighbourhoods which means that some locations within these areas, such as by busy roads, will have higher levels of pollution (two times higher or more for NO2 according to an analysis of roadside monitoring in Manchester).
Jenny Bates, Friends of the Earth’s air pollution campaigner, said:
“It’s a scandal that more than a million children and young people in England live in areas where average air pollution levels are twice World Health Organisation guidelines for either or both of two of the deadliest pollutants.
“Millions of people are suffering the effects of living in the most polluted neighbourhoods – with the most deprived communities and people of colour the hardest hit.
“The new Prime Minister must get to grips with this public health emergency, which kills tens of thousands of people prematurely every year, and costs the economy billions of pounds annually, with a package of measures to clean up our air, including cutting car use.”
Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah is Founder and Director of the Ella Roberta Foundation , which was set up following the tragic death of Rosamund’s nine-year-old daughter Ella in 2013 from a severe asthma attack contributed to by air pollution. She said:
“This latest data is shocking, but unsurprising. It re-emphasises the urgency with which our country, and London particularly, needs action on air pollution.
“Everyone deserves a right to breathe clean air, particularly children, who are worst impacted because their lungs are still developing.
“Liz Truss, the new PM, needs to tackle this as a matter of urgency. This is something we need to see by the end of October, when the new targets must be set – and currently, the government’s ambitions fall well short of the latest WHO guidelines.
“Not only is a more ambitious target achievable by 2030, it’s vital, so in future no child has to suffer like my daughter did.”
