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Air near Welsh schools isn't clean enough, campaigners say

The four girls are pictured on their school yard in front of flower beds. They are all smiling looking at the camera. Seren, on the left, is wearing a white t-shirt and has long blonde hair, which is draping on her left shoulder. Next to her is Eleanor, who again is wearing a white t shirt, black shorts and has light brown shoulder-length hair. Fatima is standing next to Eleanor. She is wearing a green School t-shirt and has a blue jumper tied around her waist. Fatima has black hair in a ponytail, with a middle parting. Ada, on the right, is wearing a red School t-shirt. She wears glasses and has light brown hair which is in a ponytail.

Children in Cardiff want to improve the air they breathe - especially near to their school.

Environmental group, Friends of the Earth Cymru says that over 200 schools in Wales are in places where the air quality isn't meeting guidelines on air pollution set by the World Health Organization (WHO).

More than half of those schools are in Cardiff, the group now wants the Welsh government to do more to tackle the problem.

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What do campaigners say?

A car exhaust with fumes and a Welsh school sign.Getty Images

Friends of the Earth Cymru looked at information about harmful gases in the air collected by the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).

They say that the figures suggest that over 65,000 pupils in Wales may be breathing in air that isn't clean enough.

A new law was passed last year to clean up the air in Wales, but Haf Elgar, director of the group, said it's just the start and more needs to be done.

"This data proves that we've got a real crisis in air pollution in Wales, particularly in our cities. The list of 200 schools makes it obvious that we need to do more."

Doctors agree that air pollution is a big problem.

Dr Hilary Williams from the Royal College of Physicians said: "For people living with asthma, poor air quality directly affects their risk of hospital admission and impacts everyday activities.

"Clean air is a right, not a privilege and improving air quality must be treated as a core public health priority."

What do children say?

Air pollution: "You can smell and taste it"

At one school in Cardiff, some children are aware of the problem and are trying to do their bit to help.

Eleven-year-old Fatima is trying to get her family to stop using the car so much. "I usually tell my parents off for driving the car too much, and ask them to walk to school instead of drive. I live a bit far - but it's not too far - so I just walk."

Another student, Seren, also 11, is helping by growing plants. "It would be better if we could all do something like plant more plants or make more cars on the road electric so they don't produce the fumes that go into the atmosphere," she said.

Ada, 11, says she thinks about her friends who have asthma: "Children's bodies are still growing. They can get ill and it can affect their bodies," she said.

What does the Welsh government say?

What's air pollution and why's it so important?

The Welsh government has said that it is giving money to help councils make air cleaner through its Local Air Quality Management Support Fund.

It is also planning to teach more people - especially children - about air pollution and how to help.

Cardiff council has said it welcomed the report from Friends of the Earth Cymru as "Cardiff is very much aware of the health concerns from poor air quality and its potential impact on our children".

However, the council said its monitoring locations in the city are currently meeting existing laws on legal air quality and said that the schools it monitors recorded air pollution levels that are "significantly less" than the Friends of the Earth Cymru research suggested.