Parents and children in London are being encouraged to ditch the car and use active travel for the school run on Thursday to mark Clean Air Day.
The UK-wide campaign day is organised by Global Action Plan and is aimed at raising awareness of the various health impacts of air pollution.
Also, children in Newham will be offered the chance to have their bikes fixed for free as schools take part in Clean Air Day across the capital.
A mass bike ride is taking place in Kingston, while all schools in London are being encouraged to promote active travel and raise awareness about the health impacts of pollution.
Larissa Lockwood, director of clean air at Global Action Plan, said she hopes Clean Air Day will “normalise walking and cycling for short trips”.
She said: “Not only will walking reduce your air pollution footprint and exposure, it is also the healthiest and cheapest way to get around. But it’s not always easy, so we also want people to ask local decision makers to make it easier for them to walk more and have cleaner air in their community.”
Research has shown breathing toxic air can lead to an increased chance of developing dementia, heart disease and cancer, or of suffering strokes.
Analysis from City Hall has found 98 per cent of schools in London are in areas that exceed WHO air pollution limits, meaning more than 3 million children are at risk of breathing toxic air.
In February, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan convened a clean air summit alongside campaigner Rosamund Adoo Kissi-Debrah that called on health professionals and local authorities to do more to raise awareness about the wide-ranging dangers of toxic air.
