British Councils are failing to monitor most schools in Britain for dangerous air pollution despite government advice, freedom of information requests have revealed, according to an October 6, 2016 report from The Guardian.

All Britain’s 433 local councils were asked by the British Lung Foundation (BLF) whether they placed pollution monitors within 10 meters of school grounds. Of the 322 which replied, only 140 said they did.

In urban areas identified by the World Health Organization as having harmful levels of particulate pollution, nearly half were found to be monitoring only one or two schools. Less than one in three local authorities monitored more than two schools.

Air quality monitoring guidance for the UK is drawn up by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). The government does not insist that schools are monitored and local authorities are left to implement and interpret results and take action where needed.

The survey showed “alarming discrepancies” in council behavior, said a BLF spokeswoman. Some used very simple diffusion tubes to measure only NO2 gas, but others monitored for different-sized particles called PM10s and 2.5s which are spewed out by traffic and industry, she said.

A study of 2,400 children at 25 schools across east London found children had 5-10% less lung capacity, with an increased risk of diseases such as asthma and bronchitis.

According to the BLF, nearly 1 million schoolchildren up to 15 years old have been diagnosed with lung conditions.

What this means to you
All Britain’s 433 local councils were asked by the British Lung Foundation whether they placed pollution monitors within 10 meters of school grounds. Of the 322 which replied, only 140 said they did. The government does not insist that schools are monitored. Local authorities are left to implement and interpret results and take action when needed.

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