Over 65,000 school children at risk from dangerous air pollution
Published: 19 Jun 2025
- 79% of neighbourhoods in Wales exceed World Health Organization levels for air pollution.
- 203 schools are in neighbourhoods that breach the WHO guidelines on air pollution.
Analysing the latest air pollution data for 2021-2023 from the UK Department for Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), Friends of the Earth has created a map that identifies neighbourhoods with air pollution levels that exceed the World Health Organization’s (WHO) guidelines for nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and particulate matter (PM2.5).
The analysis identified 202 schools and more than 65,000 children under 18 living in areas where both the NO2 or PM2.5 levels were above WHO guidelines, impacting their lung development.3
The top 10 worst schools for NO2 and PM 2.5 are in Cardiff4, but the problem is not confined to the capital. A number of schools in Newport, Swansea, Caerphilly, the Vale of Glamorgan and Neath Port Talbot are also in neighbourhoods that breach the guidelines for these pollutants.
Joseph Carter, Chair of Healthy Air Cymru and Head of Devolved Nations, Asthma and Lung UK Cymru, said:
“Schools should be safe places for young people. It’s shocking to discover thousands of school children in Wales are breathing in dangerous, polluted air that could damage their lungs.
“Children’s airways are small and still developing, which means they are more vulnerable to breathing in polluted air than adults. Children also breathe more rapidly and are closer to the ground, so they inhale more polluted air than adults.”
“To protect our children, and save the lives of other vulnerable people, we urge the Welsh Government to speed up the implementation of the Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Act 2024 passed over a year ago. Having an act is one thing, implementing it so it can make a difference is another.”
Haf Elgar, Vice-chair of Healthy Air Cymru and Director of Friends of the Earth Cymru, said:
“This data is a timely reminder that we must go further and faster to clean up our dirty air.
“Air pollution affects the most vulnerable in society the most, who are often doing the least to cause it. If Wales is serious about becoming a fairer and more equitable nation, we must follow through on promises to clean up our air - for the sake of current and future generations.
“The Senedd passed clean air legislation last year. Now this act must be implemented as quickly as possible, including setting ambitious targets for reducing PM2.5 and NO2 in our air.”
Hugh Russell, Chief Executive at Children in Wales, said:
"Clean air is not a luxury – it’s a fundamental children’s right. On Clean Air Day, we must recognise that the unsafe air surrounding over 200 schools in Wales is a clear breach of that right. Every child has the right to grow up healthy and safe, and clean air is essential to both. Last year the Welsh Government passed the Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Act; we now need to see real action to ensure that legislation delivers meaningful change for babies, children and young people across Wales."
Mark Elliott, President of the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH), said:
“This analysis covering schools in Wales is attention grabbing. We know that poor air quality creates health risks for children because their brains, lungs and other organs are still developing. We urge the Welsh Senedd to work with organisations like CIEH and Friends of the Earth (FoE) and show greater ambition going forward to protect future generations."
