Capital’s schoolchildren to benefit from air quality filters

The rollout will prioritise areas with the highest levels of air pollution, as RCPCH cites it as the second most significant risk factor for death in children under five

Tens of thousands of school children in London will benefit from indoor air quality filters as part of Mayor Sadiq Khan’s £2.7 million School Filters Programme to clean up air in classrooms and protect children’s health.

At least 200 schools will receive one HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) filter per classroom, which will help remove particulates generated indoors or those entering from nearby sources, such as roads. Research commissioned by City Hall found classrooms fitted with such filters had between 27% and 68% lower levels of PM2.5 than those without, with similar levels of improvement observed in external research.

PM2.5 is among the most harmful air pollutants; it can be breathed deep into the lungs and absorbed into the bloodstream where it can affect children’s developing organs, exacerbate respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, and increase the chance of developing long-term health conditions in adulthood.

Dr Helena Clements, Officer for Climate Change at the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH), said: “Air pollution poses a significant risk to public health in the UK, and exposure to it has become the second most significant risk factor for death in children under five, both globally and nationally…these harms are entirely avoidable, yet children continue to suffer the consequences.”

Clement continued: “With pollutants from both outdoor and indoor environments unnecessarily impacting the health and development of children and young people, there is an urgent need for comprehensive policy measures to safeguard their future.”

Khan promised to tackle London’s air pollution, where an estimated 4,000 premature deaths per year were attributed to toxic air, as part of his manifesto pledge. The rollout will prioritise schools in areas with the highest levels of deprivation and air pollution, with the potential to widen its reach later.

“I want every single child to breathe clean air in and around their school,” said Khan. “In those vital early years, the difference this can make to young people’s health and wellbeing can be lifechanging.”

Data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) states that cleaner air should translate into lower rates of respiratory infection, better attendance and potentially improved academic outcomes.

"This is an important step towards protecting children and teachers suffering from asthma, allergies and anaphylaxis by improving indoor air pollution."

Catherine Sutton, CEO of Airborne Allergy Action CIC, which raises awareness of improved indoor air quality, said: “This is an important step towards protecting children and teachers suffering from asthma, allergies and anaphylaxis by improving indoor air pollution. Children and adults with a range of health conditions can be triggered or exacerbated by allergenic and non-allergenic particles in the air such as dust mites, mould, tree/grass pollen, animal dander, pollutants and viruses. Cleaning up the air in classrooms will only help improve health for all.”

The Local Government Association (LGA) began a similar project in September 2023 in Southend. Their aim was to determine air quality at 10 schools located near roads with high traffic levels, or those within or adjacent to an air quality management area. Schools have benefitted from air purifiers and a living green wall, and the Woodland Trust’s ‘free trees for schools’ initiative.

The LGA said the project “has been effective and really well received” and will be extended to other schools.