Air-quality monitors must be installed in all city schools across Scotland, a teaching union will say this weekend.
The NASUWT teaching union is concerned about research finding links between air pollution and children’s growth and brain development.
It says that the installation of air-quality monitors in schools, along with air filters, would help improve the health of both pupils and school staff.
The NASUWT will be making its call for improvements in air quality in and around schools at the Scottish Trades Union Congress disabled workers’ conference in Clydebank this weekend.
NASUWT general secretary Dr Patrick Roach said: “The pandemic underscored the importance of good ventilation and air quality in helping us to keep well and avoid the spread of illness.
“The introduction of air-quality monitors and filters in our schools would be a sound investment in our children’s health and education.”
Mike Corbett, NASUWT national official for Scotland, said: “Air pollution is estimated to be the cause of around 2,500 deaths each year in Scotland and increases the risks of conditions including asthma, heart attacks and strokes.
“Being able to quantify the scale of the problem around our schools is the first step to cleaning up the air we and our children breathe and moving towards a healthier and safer future.”
In April, doctors called for air-quality monitors to be installed in Scottish schools to gauge the health risks of air pollution.
The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh said that without better information on air quality in schools, Scotland is “risking our children’s future through lack of data”.
