For Ben Cox, who lives in Melbourne's leafy eastern suburbs, the number one factor when it came to choosing a childcare centre to send his two daughters to was whether it was safe.Â
"But there aren't any within five kilometres of us that aren't on the main roads," he told AAP.
School students in areas with high air pollution are at increased risk of respiratory diseases. (Bianca De Marchi/AAP PHOTOS)
His two children attend a childcare centre located opposite a four lane road that comes off a busy freeway.
The centre's playground is a footpath, or about three metres, from the road itself.
"You can absolutely see these massive dirty trucks, polluting utes and cars everyday, and you can smell the toxic fumes," he said.
His youngest daughter has childhood asthma and while that hasn't been directly linked to air pollution, Mr Cox says the noxious air his children breathe in at school doesn't help.
"Our kids' safety is always number one, but it's something I can't control and it's so frustrating," he said.
"Twenty years ago, it used to be okay to smoke in a restaurant. Today, it would never be OK to smoke outside a school playground, but we have these cars and trucks polluting the environment with these noxious chemicals that have really proven to be bad for health."
More than 3000 schools and childcare centres across Australia's capital cities are within 100m of a major road, according to a new report from the Climate Council released on Thursday.
The report recommends phasing out coal, oil and gas for cleaner air quality. (Dan Peled/AAP PHOTOS)
Melbourne students are most at risk of pollution-related health issues with almost a quarter of the city's schools and childcare centres (1138) within 100m of a major road.
This is closely followed by Brisbane (447) and Perth (413) where just over one-in-five schools and childcare centres are found near main roads.
About 18 per cent of Sydney schools and childcare centres (924) are close to a main road followed by Hobart (28) on 15 per cent and Adelaide (174) on 13 per cent.
Canberra (27) and Darwin (2) ranked lowest with five and one per cent of their educational institutions located near a main road, respectively.
Children are particularly susceptible to harms from air pollution because they have a higher breathing rate and immature lung and immune systems, Climate Councillor and public health physician Kate Charlesworth said.
Traffic exhaust produces a range of pollutants but Dr Charlesworth is concerned about nitrogen dioxide which she said is strongly linked to childhood asthma.
Tiny pollution particles called particulate matter 2.5 can also be absorbed into the bloodstream which leads to a higher risk of dementia, stroke and diabetes.
"A couple days of air pollution - not too concerned about - but children are spending eight to 10 days in a childcare centre, and when so many of them are so close to busy roads ... that significant exposure adds up over time," Dr Charlesworth said.
In 2021, traffic air pollution was three times more likely to cause premature deaths in Australia compared to road accidents, while also costing Australians about $6.2 billion per year.
Phasing out coal, oil and gas and replacing it with solar and wind and providing cleaner transport options will produce cleaner air and cut pollution, the report says.
"We would see immediate health benefits in terms of our health, cleaner air, and a healthier population," Dr Charlesworth said.
"Fresh air for every child shouldn't be a nice to have. That should be an absolute mandatory for every child in Australia," Mr Cox said.
