These NE Queens Schools Are Highly Exposed To Pollution: Report

BAYSIDE, QUEENS — Six northeast Queens public schools could be exposing children to dangerously high levels of vehicle pollution, a new report found.

P.S. 159, P.S. 079 Francis Lewis, Nathaniel Hawthorne Middle School 74, P4 Queens, Francis Lewis High School and J.H.S. 216 George Ryan are all within 500 feet of major roads, according to a Localize.city data analysis — that's where the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says vehicle pollution levels are highest.

There are 244 public schools across the city that are close enough to heavily-trafficked roads to potentially expose students and educators to those pollutants, the home search platform found.

Of those, 39 are in Queens.

Students who attend school near major roads appear to have higher rates of asthma and cardiovascular disease and are likelier to have impaired lung development and childhood leukemia, according to the EPA.

"Kids attend city schools 180 days a year, often running around at recess every day, breathing in the air — and potentially toxic fine particulate matter," Localize.city urban planner Liat Halpern said in a statement.

Click here to view the map of public schools near polluting highways.