It has been proposed that children in Newcastle be issued with special badges that will warn them if they are being exposed to high levels of air pollution while on the school run.
This is part of Newcastle City Council's plans to tackle air pollution, which is linked to hundreds of deaths in Tyneside each year.
The proposed badges would degrade more quickly if the air around them was filled with toxic pollutants. The council hopes that this proposal would improve air quality, and raise awareness of the “invisible killer”. The plan also seeks to highlight the air pollution problems caused by parents using their cars to pick up and drop off their children at school.
According to a spokesperson for Newcastle City Council, "Tackling pollution is not just about the measures that councils can introduce - it is about the things that everyone can do as individuals to make a difference.
"One of the things we have looked at is the possible use of materials that change, based on the amount of pollution in the air, on things such as badges or posters to enable people to see the impact of something that is, in effect, an invisible killer."
This is not the only measure Newcastle City Council is hoping to take to combat air pollution. Newcastle, Gateshead and North Tyneside Councils are also considering introducing Clean Air zones and tolls to reduce pollution created by high emission vehicles. Council leaders also want to reduce general traffic on the Tyne Bridge to one lane in each direction. Newcastle City Council transport boss Graham Grant said that the badges idea is something that they hoped could have happened earlier this year, but that the council is still keen to pursue it.
