Brussels schools fail to meet WHO air quality standards despite declining NO2 levels

A study by the non-profit organization Les chercheurs d’air reveals that while nitrogen dioxide (NO2) exposure is decreasing in Brussels schools, no school in the city currently meets the World Health Organization (WHO) annual average recommendation of 10 µg/m³.

Data comparing 2022 to 2024 shows a positive trend: in 2022, nine out of ten Brussels schools had NO2 levels 50% above the WHO recommendation, whereas that figure dropped to nearly three out of ten schools by 2024. However, the study emphasizes that every school in Brussels still exceeds the recommended safety threshold.

Significant regional disparities exist. In Saint-Josse, all schools recorded levels 50% above the WHO limit in 2024. Conversely, municipalities such as Watermaal-Bosvoorde, Sint-Agatha-Berchem, Koekelberg, Oudergem, and Sint-Pieters-Woluwe reported no schools exceeding that specific 50% threshold. The researchers, utilizing tools from the Université catholique de Louvain (UCL), advocate for maintaining low-emission zones and implementing more traffic-calmed school streets to improve air quality.