More than 25,000 British schools are in areas exceeding World Health Organization (WHO) air quality guidelines
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850,000 children in Britain are exposed to air pollution more than double the recommended WHO guidelines, a new campaign from Health Equals has revealed.
More than 25,000 schools are also in areas exceeding WHO air quality guidelines, with these same guidelines breached in more than 35,000 neighbourhoods across the country.
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In total, 12 million children are at risk of serious, long-term health problems ranging from asthma and other lung conditions to increased risk of heart disease and strokes.
Analysis also found that toxic air disproportionately impacts deprived areas, and neighbourhoods with higher populations of ethnic minority groups.
Such statistics come following a recent report by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH), which found air pollution is now the second leading risk factor for death in children under five in the UK.
While analysis shows a staggering proportion of the British public are at risk of ill-effects from air pollution, just one in three people are aware the air where they live is damaging their health.
In addition, the general public is unaware of the severity of the health risks. New polling reveals that while 70 per cent of the UK public are concerned about outdoor air pollution, less than half (49 per cent) realise it can lead to poor lung development, asthma (49 per cent) or lung cancer (44 per cent).
Out of all groups, parents are the most concerned about air quality. Two in three parents believe that politicians should take action to reduce air pollution, while 62 per cent of parents with children aged 10 and under say they feel motivated to call on the Government for change.
These new findings are part of Health Equals’ Make Health Equal campaign, created to highlight alarming health inequalities, where toxic air, alongside other issues such as poor income and job instability, is contributing to a 16-year gap in life expectancy across the UK. As such, Health Equals is calling for a cross-government strategy which prioritises action on these pivotal cornerstones of public health.
‘Our health is shaped by the world around us – from the air we breathe, to the homes we live in, the money in our pockets and the work we do – these are the building blocks of health,’ said Chief Campaigns Officer at Health Equals, Paul McDonald.
‘Clean air isn’t just an environmental issue — it’s a clear example of health inequality in the UK. While some children breathe safely, many grow up in areas where toxic air damages their lungs before they even reach school,’ McDonald continued.
How bad is air pollution in the UK?
Each year, outdoor or ambient air pollution contributes to 4,000 premature deaths in London alone, up to 43,000 in the UK and 4.2 million worldwide, according to WHO estimates.
Air pollution is linked to many diseases, with short-term exposure triggering heart attacks and strokes. Long-term exposure is particularly harmful to respiratory and cardiovascular health.
Particulate matter (PM) is the most dangerous type of air pollution and is largely invisible due to the small particle size of the pollutant. At this minuscule size, particles can penetrate into the lungs and consequently enter the bloodstream with negative impacts on all organs of the body.
Back in 2021, the WHO revised its air quality guidelines, but the UK have yet to catch up with their guidelines. The current UK legal target for nitrogen dioxide – a major pollutant – is now four times higher than the WHO guidelines, while the target for PM2.5 is two times higher than the WHO guideline.
