The proposals follow detailed air quality audits at 50 schools in London, which showed that some school buildings were subject to illegally high indoor pollution.

In parallel, an assessment of indoor air quality (IAQ) at five London primary schools and one nursery, by University College London and the University of Cambridge, found that a significant proportion of indoor air pollution is due to outdoor air pollution.

Stephan Lang of SAV Systems commented: “These findings reinforce the importance of efficient mechanical ventilation systems that incorporate high levels of filtration. It is clear that proximity to roads and other sources of pollution is a danger to the health of our children, and reliance on opening windows for ventilation will do nothing to prevent that.” 

SAV’s AirMaster Smart Ventilation Units incorporate filters that ensure compliance with the new ISO 16890 standard that comes into force on July 1 2018. Filters classified to this standard are to show filtration performance against specific particle sizes, PM1, PM 2.5 and PM10.

AirMaster units filter both incoming air and outgoing air to protect heat exchangers as well as filter out pollutants. They can also be linked to SAV’s Airlinq Online system to monitor indoor air quality locally and remotely, and send alerts when filters need to be replaced.

Crucially, AirMaster units combine excellent IAQ control with very low noise levels and draught-free operation to maintain optimum comfort levels. Demand controlled ventilation also ensures high energy efficiency.

Other measures proposed by the Mayor of London include closing roads, moving school entrances and playgrounds and installing green ‘pollution barrier’ hedges, preventing engine idling outside schools and encouraging walking and cycling.