Petition P-05-825: Response to correspondence

We are grateful to the Minister and to the WLGA for responding to our petition calling for greater intervention to protect children’s lungs whilst at school.

In particular, we welcome the detailed response provided by the WLGA outlining the range of policy levers local authorities are able to utilise to reduce children’s exposure to harmful pollutants on the route to and whilst at school. We welcome the emphasis placed on schools as sensitive receptors throughout government guidance, and the focus placed on behaviour change such as through active travel and education.

Our response is as follows;

Current monitoring only captures background levels of pollution and fails to capture the individual’s exposure to harmful pollutants. As such, current monitoring fails to capture or recognise that persistent exposure to even levels below target values, is still harmful to children’s health and lung development. This is why we are calling for a greater number of monitoring sites and for monitoring to reflect the individual’s exposure rather than kerbside levels.

Long term exposure whilst at school is just as important as exposure on the route to school. A Californian study found that children living in highly polluted areas are four times more likely to have significantly reduced lung function. A European cohort study suggests pollution increases infection susceptibility. Anecdotal evidence from schools near busy roads suggests that even where pollution levels at the building are below target values, there is a growing number of children suffering from harmful emissions, particularly those with lung conditions.

We welcome the emphasis on the route or journey to and from school, but we believe that we need more measures on school grounds. As such, whilst engineering measures are welcome to reduce traffic speeds and deter unnecessary traffic flows other measures should be considered. There is growing evidence that ‘living walls’ are an effective way of reducing exposure to harmful emissions whilst at school. A 2012 paper by the University of Birmingham suggests that green infrastructure could reduce pollution levels by up to 30% . It is important that we measure the effectiveness of any measures utilised to tackle air quality, which is why we are calling for an increase in the level of monitoring stations located at schools.

Current monitoring levels do not reflect the risk posed to individuals by pollution levels. An estimated 165,000 children (0-18 years old) are growing up in areas of Wales with unsafe levels of PM2.5, with the greatest number living in Cardiff, followed by Swansea and then Newport. Despite this only 6 schools across those 3 Local Authority areas are being monitored for the quality of the air around them, according to an FOI submitted by the BLF in 2017. We would question whether current monitoring patterns are responsive to the actual risk.

Therefore, we believe that revisions need to be made to the approach Local Authorities take to identifying and monitoring air quality near ‘at risk’ sensitive receptors. This will provide a clearer understanding of individual and actual exposure to harmful levels of air pollution, recognising that persistant exposure to any level of air pollution is harmful to health.

Thank you again for considering our petition and for the opportunity to provide a response for the committee’s consideration.

Yours sincerely,

Rhys Taylor

https://www.airqualitynews.com/2018/01/26/defra-defends-air-quality-plan-high-court-2/

Chen Z, Salam MT, Eckel SP, Breton CV, Gilliland FD (2015) Chronic effects of air pollution on respiratory health in Southern California children: findings from the Southern California Children’s Health Study. J Thorac Dis 2015;7:46–58.

Macintyre, E.A et al. (2014). Air pollution and respiratory infections during early childhood: An analysis of 10 European birth cohorts within the escape project. Environmental Health Perspectives, 122(1), 107-113. p.112

https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/research/activity/environmental-health/news-events/29Aug12-mackenzie-green-walls.aspx

https://www.eastlothiancourier.com/news/16953589.giant-sponge-of-mosses-tackling-air-pollution-in-musselburgh/?ref=twtrec

Unicef UK (2018) A breath of toxic air