'Birmingham kids struggling to breathe toxic air in city's schools'

Yahoo

27-07-2025

Children in Birmingham are coming to school tired, struggling to breathe or even missing school altogether because of toxic air, a teacher has revealed.
A city school teacher, who worked in Perry Barr and Lozells, opened up on his first hand-experience, branding air pollution a "crisis that's harming our health."
Ibrahim Ali spoke of having to 'step back' from his career in teaching in a new Health Equals campaign urging the Government to prioritise action tackling air pollution.
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Alarming new figures from its report this week revealed every school - all 506 - in Birmingham is failing World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines on air pollution - with thousands of kids exposed to double the amount stipulated in guidelines.
Areas like Ladywood, Erdington and Perry Barr are among the worst affected in Britain, its data showed. School teacher Mr Ali said: 'In parts of Birmingham like Perry Barr and Lozells, air pollution isn't just a nuisance - it's a crisis that's harming our health.
"I've seen the impact in my own body, my children's wellbeing, and the classroom every day. Kids are tired, struggling to breathe, missing school because the air around them is toxic.
"I had to step back from a career I love due to Crohn's Disease, which research shows can be aggravated by prolonged exposure to pollution.
"Birmingham is one of the worst-hit areas in the country - and yet this silent threat continues to go unchecked. That's why I'm supporting the Health Equals campaign. Clean air must be a right, not a privilege: because where you live should never determine how long or how well you live.'
The new report shows 12 million children live in neighbourhoods where pollution breached WHO guidelines.
Air pollution is now the second leading risk factor for death in children under five in the UK, a recent report by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) also found.
Across the UK toxic air, alongside other issues including poor income, unstable jobs and unsafe homes, is contributing to lives being cut short by up to 16 years, the Health Equals campaign revealed.
Analysis shows that a staggering 90 per cent of the British population live in areas that exceed WHO guidelines, however only 41 per cent of people in the West Midlands are aware the air where they live is damaging their health.
Health Equals is a coalition of 85 organisations across different sectors, including Mind, the British Red Cross, Legal and General, the Local Government Association, Citizens Advice, Global Action Plan, Crisis, The Wildlife Trusts and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.
'Our health is shaped by the world around us – from the air we breathe, to the homes we live in, the money in our pockets and the work we do – these are the building blocks of health," said Paul McDonald, Chief Campaigns Officer at Health Equals.
"Clean air isn't just an environmental issue — it's a clear example of health inequality in the UK.
"While some children breathe safely, many grow up in areas where toxic air damages their lungs before they even reach school. Clean air is just one part of the problem, and that's why we're calling for a cross-government health inequalities strategy to Make Health Equal.'
BirminghamLive has contacted Birmingham City Council for a comment.
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