Air quality: in Lyon, 100% of schools exceed pollution thresholds

It is not good to breathe in the schools of Lyon (Rhône).

According to a study by the Respire association, 100% of schools in the town exceed the thresholds recommended by the WHO for fine particles and carbon oxides.

“In the region, most schools exceed the thresholds.

But in Lyon, the pollution represents more than double the limits”, specifies Tony Renucci, the director of Respire, a national association which alerts on the quality of the air.

Parents of worried students

"No wonder" for the parents of students at the Michel-Servet school (Lyon 1st arrondissement) who have been campaigning for many years to improve air quality in their children's school.

"It's a subject that we've been talking about for a long time because we know that beyond asthma and breathing difficulties, pollution causes long-term problems in the youngest by affecting all the organs. and their evolution", confides Renaud Pierre, member of the collective.

The pollution in this establishment, located above the Croix-Rousse tunnel, is so significant that the historic courtyard has been condemned.

“I hear the concerns of parents, that is why it is legitimate to respond to them (…) and to accompany the inhabitants to modify their behavior and their modes of travel”, commented Grégory Doucet, the mayor. from Lyon.

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The city has already pedestrianized more than 20 streets in front of the town's schools.

More broadly, the environmentalist majority is counting on the forthcoming application of the Low Emission Zone to further reduce pollution.

Enough in the short term?

Not easy according to Renaud Pierre, parent of a student: “So far, all elected officials have preferred to tinker with facilities in schools rather than touching road traffic.

In France, 3 out of 4 children breathe polluted air at school.