The Mayor of London’s plans to provide schools with direct information about periods of very poor air quality.
The Mayor believes it is important Londoners, especially younger and more vulnerable Londoners, are aware of periods of the worst air pollution. Knowing when air pollution is bad will enable you to take steps to reduce the exposure of your students to air pollution and its adverse health impacts.
The Mayor has appointed King’s College London – who are experts in monitoring London’s air pollution – to provide new air quality alerts which will notify you when air quality is ‘moderate’, ‘high’ or ‘very high’. An FAQ with more information is below.
These direct alert emails build on the existing air quality alerts which you may have already seen on social media, at TfL bus stop countdown signs, Tube stations and roadside signage.
The Environment Team
GREATERLONDONAUTHORITY | MAYOR OF LONDON
City Hall, The Queens Walk, London SE1 2AA
Email: airqualitylondon@london.gov.uk | Web: www.london.gov.uk
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is an air quality alert?
An air quality alert is issued when air pollution is predicted to reach moderate, high or very high on the national Daily Air Quality Index. At these levels it is more likely to impact the health of adults and children, especially those with existing health conditions.
When will the air quality alerts be sent?
Air quality alerts will normally be issued ahead of a pollution event giving you time to notify parents and students and plan any appropriate action. We will always try to give as much notice as possible but given the uncertainty intrinsic to forecasting, on some occasions less notice will be given.
Why are you sending air quality alerts to us?
The Mayor believes it is important Londoners, especially younger and more vulnerable Londoners, are aware of periods of the worst air pollution. Knowing when air pollution is bad will enable you to take steps to reduce the exposure of your students to air pollution and its adverse health impacts. Most of the time, only more vulnerable students – such as those with pre-existing health conditions like severe asthma or those experiencing physical symptoms – will need to take action during an alert. But on occasion the advice will be relevant to the entire school/institution community.
How many air quality alerts can we expect each year?
There are around 40 ‘moderate’ alerts a year. The more severe ‘high’ and ‘very high’ alerts are issued much more infrequently – a handful of times a year.
What should we do in the event of an air quality alert?
Recommended actions and health advice developed by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is set out below. This will also be included in these future alerts.
| Air Pollution Banding | Value | Accompanying health messages for at-risk individuals* | Accompanying health messages for the general population |
| Low | 1-3 | Enjoy your usual outdoor activities. | Enjoy your usual outdoor activities. |
| Moderate | 4-6 | Adults and children with lung problems, and adults with heart problems, who experience symptoms, should consider reducing strenuous physical activity, particularly outdoors. | Enjoy your usual outdoor activities. |
| High | 7-9 | Adults and children with lung problems, and adults with heart problems, should reducestrenuous physical exertion, particularly outdoors, and particularly if they experience symptoms. People with asthma may find they need to use their reliever inhaler more often. Older people should also reduce physical exertion. | Anyone experiencing discomfort such as sore eyes, cough or sore throat should consider reducing activity, particularly outdoors. |
| Very High | 10 | Adults and children with lung problems, adults with heart problems, and older people, should avoid strenuous physical activity. People with asthma may find they need to use their reliever inhaler more often. | Reduce physical exertion, particularly outdoors, especially if you experience symptoms such as cough or sore throat. |
*Adults and children with heart or lung problems are at greater risk of symptoms. Follow the usual medical advice about exercising and managing a child in your care’s condition. It is possible that very sensitive individuals may experience health effects even on Low air pollution days. Anyone experiencing symptoms should follow the guidance provided below.
What else can we do to improve air quality around the school?
In addition to Defra’s advice above, the following are some practical ideas your school or educational institution may want to consider in partnership with parents/guardians and students:
- If at all possible, advise parents not to drive their children to and from school (or advise student themselves not to drive), as this exacerbates pollution in the school vicinity. Note that pollution levels are often higher inside cars even when the windows are shut.
- For those who continue to drive, ask parents/guardians/students not to idle their engines in the school vicinity.
- For those walking and cycling, try to plan a safe and suitable route to and from school that sticks to side roads or goes through parks or other green areas.
In the next few months additional guidance and helpful tools will be published by City Hall to help you identify further actions which you, with the support of your local borough, can take to tackle pollution in and around your school or educational institution.
Why is air pollution such a problem?
Air pollution in London is a public health crisis. Recent health data has shown 7.9 million Londoners – nearly 95 per cent of the population – live in areas exceeding the World Health Organization air quality guidelines by more than 50 per cent. This polluted air contributes to thousands of early deaths each year in London, and impacts our health over the course of our lives, leading to decreased lung function in our children, and greater risk of dementia and stroke when we get older. 438 schools in the capital are in areas exceeding legal air quality levels.
What is the Mayor doing to improve air quality?
More information on the work the Mayor is doing to improve air quality is available on City Hall’s website https://www.london.gov.uk/what-we-do/environment/pollution-and-air-quality.
As part of his commitment to help clean up London’s dangerously polluted air, from 8 April 2019 the Mayor is introducing the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) in central London, replacing the T-Charge with an even tighter emissions standard for diesel vehicles. The ULEZ will operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Further information about the ULEZ is available on TfL’s website tfl.gov.uk/ultra-low-emission-zone.
The Mayor is currently consulting on a proposal to extend the ULEZ’s tighter emissions standards to the whole of London from October 2020 for heavy vehicles (buses, coaches, lorries and other specialist vehicles) only and for cars, vans and motorcycles up to, but not including, the North and South Circular Roads from October 2021. The consultation closes on 28 February 2018 and we would welcome your views on this proposal, which is available on TfL’s website here https://consultations.tfl.gov.uk/environment/air-quality-consultation-phase-3b.
The ULEZ will reduce harmful emissions in London and help clean up our dangerously polluted air. It is part of a package of action the Mayor is taking to improve London’s air quality, including significantly increasing funding spent on tackling air quality over the next five years, cleaning up our bus and taxi fleets and tackling other sources of pollution like construction machinery.