The level of contamination in the school environment has been measured and the results are very worrying
- In the Basque Country, 28 areas of educational establishments have been analysed: 28 have higher pollution than the World Health Organization considers safe and 75% do not reach the level of pollution that the European Commission itself considers acceptable. On 10 May, students and teachers from different schools will go out to the streets to reclaim safe and healthy school environments.
Ecologists in Action is nitrogen dioxide from 114 educational centers in the Spanish state. Some of the centers studied have the adjacent road, others are far from cars, but none comply with the recommendation of the World Health Organization (10 μg/m3 maximum nitrogen dioxide). According to WHO data, 90% of European children travel daily to environments with unsafe levels of air pollutants.
Of the 114 schools in the Basque Country, 28 are from Basauri, Galdakao and Etxebarri, and in our case the results are not good either. In fact, all the centres listed in the study comply with the law (40 μg/m3 of maximum nitrogen dioxide), but the law is 2008 and have agreed a new directive in the European Commission, which is expected to be adopted in 2024: the European Commission requires that this level of pollution be halved to a maximum of 20 μg/m3, and the school environments that do not meet this limit are very numerous:
The authors of the study are clear that “the results of the measurements are very worrying, poor air quality causes chronic diseases and developmental problems and pollution has a significant impact on children’s health”. First, it is considered that information on the air quality that is breathed “should be substantially improved”, especially in schools and other sensitive centres (care, sports and health).
"We focus on the development of children, on safety, on health… so that they can come to school calmly, so that when they are in class or in the patio they do not bear extreme pollution rates and stressful noises"
The reduction of urban motorized traffic and the steps towards another mobility model have also been considered essential to “improve the air quality and life of citizens”. The study has recalled that air pollution from traffic is the direct cause of childhood asthma.
The issue is not new. 29 Algerian schools drew the manifesto claiming a safe, healthy and co-educational environment. They call on the institutions to intervene in this direction. “School environments should at least ensure the well-being of children rather than prioritising vehicles or other economic interests. Let’s focus on the development of children, on safety, on health… so they can come to school calmly, when they are in class or in the patio they do not bear extreme pollution rates and stressful noises”, told ARGIA Aitziber Sagarminaga, parents of the Atxuri school.
Matxinada in schools: the street, to play
It also demands safe and healthy school environments. This movement, born in Catalonia in 2020 and which has spread to the rest of the territories, occasionally brings education and play to the streets, hindering traffic and becoming aware of the street. This Friday, 10 May, activities will be held in different schools. In Irun, for example, from 8:30 in the morning, the bidegorri will go to Eguzkitza College by bike or scooter. And at 14:30 there will be games and painted between the streets Nafarroa Behera and Harmugarrieta.
.jpg)
.jpg)
