AIR quality levels at two Jersey schools have been monitored as part of a government programme in a bid to identify pollution hotspots.
Mobile equipment was used to take air samples on walking routes around Rouge Bouillon and Beaulieu schools during peak drop-off and collection times for pupils.
Data was collected by environmental and engineering consulting company Ricardo.
The government will compile the air quality results in a report, which is due to be published later this summer.
Environment Minister Jonathan Renouf said: ‘I’m committed to ensuring we gather and publish more air quality data, giving Islanders a better understanding of the areas in which they live, visit or simply pass through.
‘School locations will naturally be a key focus for our increased monitoring programme, as children can be particularly vulnerable to the effects of air pollution.’
He added: ‘Of course, we’re not just collecting data for information purposes, only once we have identified areas with particularly poor quality will we be able to concentrate resources and action in the right parts of the Island.’
In 2021, St Brelade Constable Mike Jackson lodged a successful amendment to the Bridging Island Plan allocating £250,000 of funding for air quality monitoring, after it emerged that many of the devices were not working, with Environment Minister Jonathan Renouf saying in February that new equipment was expected to be operational by the end of June.
Further air quality monitoring is set to take place on Elizabeth Street next to St Luke’s School.
