In the UK, an air pollution bill passed its final stage in the House of Lords and began its passage through the Commons. It is the clean air (human rights) bill named Ella’s law, the nine-year-old girl Ella Kissi-Debrah who died from air pollution-induced asthma. It would establish a right to clean air and set up a commission to oversee government actions and progress. In addition, it would join policies on indoor and outdoor air pollution with actions to combat the climate emergency.
The death of Ella underlines the growing number of Britain’s children harmed by air pollution. Even though standards and guidance are set for air pollution inside UK schools, there is no monitoring program or national survey to reveal what children are breathing in the country.
The Samhe project is created with the hope that British schools will host air pollution monitors. The project leader, Dr. Henry Burridge from Imperial College London said: «Our nation’s youth spend a vast amount of time in schools. For the first time, we will provide an indication of the air quality within our schools. By empowering pupils to make their own air quality measurements, we will raise our next generation’s awareness of air quality issues – something that is drastically needed».
Some schools in Boston and Massachusetts have pollution sensors in every classroom, office, and school nurse’s room with a total of nearly 6,000 instruments with more than 100 more on school roofs, and all the results are online in real-time.
Over the last year, the sensors have revealed air pollution problems that have come from outside: for example, when a house caught fire near a school, the in-class sensors were used to help staff close windows and keep the children safe from smoke. They have also detected and helped to prevent the use of cleaning products and room air fresheners that can produce irritating chemicals and trigger asthma symptoms.
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