The Clean Air in London campaign has this week released details of 1,148 schools located within 150 metres of London roads carrying over 10,000 vehicles per day. The list was obtained through a Freedom of Information request to Transport for London.

It’s not surprising to find one local playgroup and five of our local schools feature in the list Bowes, Bounds Green, Nightingale and St Michaels Primaries, Plus Broomfield Secondary and Wood Green Pre School are all within 150 metres of a major road - with a consequent impact on air quality.

The Clean Air in London campaign claims that traffic-related pollution exposure at school and home may cause a very strong increase in levels of asthma and also have a health impact on adults, particularly elderly people. Their website includes details of recent scientific research which makes a link between pollution and early death, or long term health impact.

The movement of traffic has been a key element of the opposition to the Pinkham Way Waste development which, by the North London Waste Authority’s own figures, would generate over 1,000 additional vehicle movements each day on the North Circular Road, let alone any further impact on air quality as a direct result of the waste processing.

On this site we have reported before about the continuous air quality monitoring at Bowes School and the London Air Quality Network data which demonstrates the levels of pollutants in the atmosphere as a result of the traffic on the A406.

The campaign to resist the siting of an inappropriate development in a residential area is strengthened by this sort of solid data on impact.

Have a look at the full list of London Schools affected.