- Every school in capital is over WHO limit of 10mg of PM2.5 per cubic metre
- Air pollution is thought to contribute to around 40,000 early deaths a year
- Comes as Rosamund Kissi-Debrah won right for new inquest into Ella’s death
- Asthma-suffering daughter lived near busy road in Hither Green, south London
Millions of schoolchildren are being poisoned by pollution every day, analysis has shown.
About 6,500 nursery, primary and secondary schools with a total of 2.6million children are in areas where levels of toxic particles exceed the World Health Organisation’s recommended limit.
The fine particles tested, known as PM2.5, are the most dangerous form of air pollution and can get into the lungs and into the blood stream.
Research by The Times using data from the London Atmospheric Emissions Inventory found that every school in the capital is over the WHO limit of 10mg per cubic metre, along with 234 in Birmingham. Leicester and Nottingham each have dangerous levels affecting more than 100 schools.
The revelations come days after Rosamund Kissi-Debrah from south London won her fight for a new inquest into the death of her daughter, Ella.
She says the nine-year-old asthma sufferer’s death in 2013 was caused by toxic fumes from a busy road near their home in Hither Green.
Air pollution is thought to contribute to 40,000 early deaths a year, and is particularly dangerous for the young, the elderly and those with lung conditions.
Read more: Daily Mail