There is no scientific doubt that air quality strongly impacts health, especially for children. According to the WHO, 600,000 deaths in children under 15 are linked to household and ambient air pollution.
Large leading independent news outlets from Slovakia (Denník N), Czechia (Deník N), Poland (Gazeta Wyborcza), and Hungary (HVG) joined forces to measure air pollution with scientifically approved tools, like no one before: near elementary schools over 4 months.
The team measured PM 2.5 particles in Bratislava, Prague, Budapest, and Warsaw from August to November, 2025. These pollutants harm respiratory health, and their reduction is mandated by EU laws. By comparing air pollution data and policies in capitals, the investigation analyzes air pollution in Central-Eastern European capital cities’ schools.
Health experts warn that the current exposure levels pose serious long-term risks, with PM2.5 identified as one of the most harmful pollutants and linked to over a thousand premature deaths of minors in Europe each year.
Time pressure is mounting, as cities acknowledge that planned measures must deliver substantial reductions within just a few years to comply with EU law and protect school-age children from chronic pollution.
Key findings:
- None of the V4 countries are currently on track to meet the EU’s 2030 Ambient Air Quality Directive, with average PM2.5 levels exceeding future limits despite recent improvements.
- Air pollution near schools is consistently high across all four capitals, with minimal variation between “low-traffic” and “high-traffic” streets, highlighting how particulate pollution disperses widely and ignores micro-zoning.
- Traffic remains the dominant source of exposure for children, as peak pollution levels coincide with school commute times; in several cities, rising car ownership and parental driving habits reinforce both emissions and safety concerns.
- National and municipal strategies are emerging but remain uneven and slow, including plans for limited-traffic zones around schools, wider pedestrian-safety interventions, and the deployment of portable or expanded air-monitoring networks.
- Measured PM2.5 levels varied significantly across the region, with Hungary and Slovakia showing the lowest averages (around 16 µg/m³) and Poland the highest (around 24.5 µg/m³), yet all remain above upcoming EU thresholds.
- Existing clean-transport policies often underperform in practice, for example, Warsaw’s Clean Transport Zone has rarely been enforced, illustrating broader gaps between policy adoption and implementation.
