Air quality near new schools in England is “alarmingly poor,” say researchers

The air quality around planned new schools in England has been described as “alarmingly poor” by researchers who found that nearly nine out of 10 sites exceed World Health Organization targets on major air pollutants and every school breaches at least one target.

The researchers called for air quality assessments to be mandatory at all stages of planning, and for building legislation and guidance to be updated to emphasise that poor air quality is widespread and detrimental to children’s health.

“The public health implications of avoidable childhood exposure to poor air quality could have significant effects on both the quality adjusted life years of the population and financial …