Seven Uptown Schools Threatened By Road Pollution, Study Finds

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS-INWOOD, NY — Uptown Manhattan is a neighborhood bounded on nearly all sides by highways, which presents health risks for students at local schools, a new report says.

Seven schools in Washington Heights and Inwood are located within at least 500 feet of a highway, truck route or other major road, according to a Localize.city report released this week. The proximity puts kids at a higher risk of health problems linked to long-term exposure to traffic pollution, such as impaired lung development and cancer, the home-search platform's report says.

The at-risk schools include both public schools and charters. Most are located near the Harlem River Drive, but some are near the Henry Hudson Parkway and the Trans-Manhattan Expressway that connects George Washington Bridge traffic to the Bronx.

Here's a list of the Uptown schools included in Localize.city's report:

• Success Academy Charter School Washington Heights — 701 Fort Washington Ave.
• Public School 187 Hudson Cliffs — 349 Cabrini Boulevard
• Public School 46 Arthur Tappan — 2987 Frederick Douglass Boulevard
• Washington Heights Expeditionary Learning School - 511 W. 182nd St.
• Public School 5 Ellen Lurie - 3703 10th Ave.
• School In The Square Charter School - 120 Wadsworth Ave.
• P.S. 115 Alexander Humboldt - 586 W. 177th St.

In total, there are 244 schools in New York City that are threatened by pollutants from cars on major roadways.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has found health risks linked to vehicular pollution, which could have academic consequences. Students who move to a school with more pollution from traffic saw a drop in test scores, according to a National Bureau of Economic Research study that Localize.city cited.

"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.

Patch editor Noah Manskar contributed to this report.