CARS MAKE SCHOOLS SUFFER

A STUDY has found that air pollution levels at school drop-off times are much higher than recommended limits.

A team at Northumbria University studied sites outside 12 schools in Newcastle across two years. They found that levels of air pollution, linked to school drop-off and pick-up times, would have regularly gone above 2021 World Health Organization limits. Those recommended limits are not followed by the UK.

High levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and tiny particles called particulate matter (PM) can cause many health problems in adults and children. That’s why it’s so important for air pollution levels to be kept down, especially around schools.

Doctors and campaigners are calling for road closures outside schools, staggered drop-off and pick-up times, and moving drop-off and pick-up sites away from school entrances. They are also calling on drivers not to ‘idle’, which is when parked cars are left with their engines on.