Pollution risk at 1 in 4 schools

MORE than a quarter of British schools, nurseries and colleges are in areas with ‘dangerously high’ pollution levels, research suggests.

Pollution particles called PM2.5, which are found in car exhaust fumes, can trigger asthma attacks in children.

Researchers have now found that 8,549 educational establishments in England, Wales and Scotland – 27 per cent – are in areas where PM2.5 exceeds the World Health Organisation’s limits.

The analysis, commissioned by Asthma UK and the British Lung Foundation, found some of the highest levels of PM2.5 were in Portsmouth, London, Gillingham, Chatham and Slough, which all had schools in areas with concentrations above 13 micrograms per cubic metre.

The WHO recommends PM2.5 should be no higher than ten micrograms. The UK has a limit of 25 and campaigners want that lowered. The study follows evidence that pollution may cause a third of new childhood asthma cases in the UK.