Reading schools to take part in air quality project

Researchers at the University of Reading are working with four Reading primary schools to tackle pollution at a local level.

Thanks to a grant of £5,000 over two years from the Community Fund – a joint initiative between the John Sykes Foundation and the University of Reading – researchers at the University of Reading are analysing air quality readings taken from portable air monitoring devices taken on the school run by students and parents. Children and their parents can use these handheld air quality monitors to instantly map their exposure to air pollution, meaning they can track air pollution levels in real time, on routes that are relevant to them.

Dr Hong Yang from the Department of Geography and Environmental Science said: “It is important to get students involved in the process, because it is their lives that are being impacted. By doing it this way, we are not only educating children and their families, but we are also ensuring our data accurately reflects the journeys students take and the exposure risks they experience.

“The support from the Community Fund enabled us to buy industry-standard air quality sensors. It has been a crucial part of ensuring that children are involved in the scientific process and has helped us to expand our research.”

The team are also using diffusion tubes to monitor air quality at the school gates, where children, teachers and parents spend time waiting at the beginning and end of the school day.

Dr Yang said: “The school gates are one of the worst affected areas. The combination of rush hour congestion, proximity to roads and little space to move around makes for a very high level of pollution.

“By better monitoring the pollution there throughout the day, and particularly at busy times, we can help schools to introduce processes which will decrease exposure or potentially even improve air quality in those specific areas. One area we are particularly interested in is ‘stop idling’ policies. These are very popular in schools across the UK, but we want to know if they are working well enough and if they would have an impact on schools in Reading.”

The money from the Community Fund will also enable the team to install air quality monitors inside school buildings to determine how much of the pollution surrounding the schools is also present inside the classrooms.