Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of PM2.5 exposure on children’s health outcomes.

Air pollution exposure can be harmful to everyone. Children are more vulnerable to the effects than adults due to their incomplete lung development, high physical activity and breathing rates, and lower height, which increases exposure to traffic pollution.

The UK Health Security Agency’s (UKHSA) assessment of children’s exposure to air pollution in outdoor school environments identified that, in 2017, one third of schools in England were in areas with PM2.5, exceeding the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) previous annual guideline of 10 micrograms per cubic meter of air (µg/m3).

In 2021, WHO updated its guidelines for PM2.5 from 10 µg/m3 to an annual mean of five µg/m3.

The Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants published advice on the susceptibility to air pollution in March 2025. They concluded that, based on the latest evidence, advice for children with asthma should continue to be included in the Daily Air Quality Index.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) provides The Daily Air Quality Index (DAQI) which is available at the following link:

https://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/air-pollution/daqi?view=more-info

This informs on the levels of air pollution and provides recommended actions and health advice. The index is numbered 1-10 and divided into four bands, low (1) to very high (10), to provide detail about air pollution levels in a simple way, similar to the sun index or pollen index.

UKHSA contributed to the Royal College of Physician’s report on air pollution which explores the impacts of air pollution over the life course, including through childhood and adolescence. UKHSA has a Cleaner Air Programme which aims to reduce people’s exposure to air pollution, particularly the most vulnerable groups, including children.

The Programme is described in UKHSA’s ‘Chemical Hazards and Poisons Report’ of June 2022, available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/chemical-hazards-and-poisons-report-issue-28