New research by the Campaign for Clean Air has found that 1,148 schools in London are within 150 metres of roads carrying 10,000 or more vehicles per day and a total of 2,270 schools within 400 metres of such roads.
This revelation comes at a time when new scientific research indicates that children exposed to higher levels of traffic-related air pollution at school and home may be at increased risk of developing asthma. Scientists say living near roads travelled by 10,000 or more vehicles per day could be responsible for some 15-30 per cent of all new cases of asthma in children; and of COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) and CHD (coronary heart disease) in adults 65 years of age and older.
Darren Johnson said:
"The Mayor of London and the Government have been too focused on avoiding European fines, rather than actually protecting the health of Londoners. The Mayor of London has to act immediately to reduce the total number of cars on our roads and to introduce a very low emission zone which only allows the very cleanest vehicles to enter central London. The Mayor also needs to stick to the promise that all new buses will be hybrids from next year and to reinstate the plans for hybrid taxis which he dropped last year."
"The threat of £300m fines from the European Court is a serious matter, but it is nothing compared with the day by day impacts on the health of children and vulnerable adults. The years of dithering, delays and backward steps must end."
Notes to editors
1. The list of schools is published online at www.cleanairinlondon.org
The Campaign for Clean Air submitted an information request to Transport for London (TfL) under the Environmental Information Regulations for details of schools within 150 metres of roads in London carrying over 10,000 vehicles per day on average. CAL also asked for details of those within 400 metres of such roads. TfL’s reply identified 1,148 schools within 150 metres and a total of 2,270 schools within 400 metres of these busy roads.
2. http://www.aphekom.org/web/aphekom.org/home
http://www.aphekom.org/c/document_library/get_file?uuid=5532fafa-921f-4ab1-9ed9-
c0148f7da36a&groupId=10347
Scientific research published recently has shown that those living near roads travelled by 10,000 or more vehicles per day on average could be responsible for some 15- 30 per cent of all new cases of asthma in children; and of COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) and CHD (coronary heart disease) in adults 65 years of age and older. The same study further estimated that, on average for all 10 cities studied, 15-30 per cent of exacerbations of asthma in children, acute worsening of COPD and acute CHD problems are attributable to air pollution. This burden is substantially larger than previous estimates of exacerbations of chronic diseases, since it has been ignored so far that air pollution may cause the underlying disease as well. Related research indicates that associations of asthma with traffic-related pollution from nearby sources at schools were independent of estimated effects of exposures at homes.