New research commissioned by the FIA Foundation, an international environmental and road safety charity, found that children in the most polluted London schools face a combination of health issues, including social deprivation, obesity and lower levels of activity.
According to the report, one in five of the capital’s state schools is in an area of poor air quality.
Children at these schools are more likely to walk to school and less likely to be driven, meaning they contribute the least to the poor-quality air they have to breathe.
The study also found that more than 85 per cent of the schools most affected by poor air quality have pupils from more deprived catchment areas than the London average.
Nearly nine out of 10 (87 per cent) of the secondary schools that are most affected by poor air quality have higher levels of obesity than the London average.
The report, entitled London’s Polluted Schools: The social context, stressed the positive benefits of walking and cycling to school but called for the Mayor of London’s school air quality audits to identify lower pollution routes to schools.
Commenting on the report’s findings, FIA Foundation executive director Saul Billingsley said: “There is growing evidence that children from some of London’s most socially deprived areas are not only affected by unacceptable levels of air pollution around their schools but they also face compounding health risks. Every child has the right to a safe and healthy journey to school.”
- You can download London’s Polluted Schools: The social context via http://bit.ly/2y1FbxF