Brighton children have started measuring exhaust emissions in and around their school as part of a two-year experiment.
Part of the project will help teach children about the science of air quality.
It will also provide data for the council.
The whole scheme has been developed with the help of community scientists, Imperial College London and technology firm Duvas.
Children from Balfour Junior School are the first to take samples to help understand the effects of transport choices on air quality.
Elm Grove and St Bernadette’s primary schools will also take part in the project.
Community scientists worked with teachers to develop practical lessons – and pupils have visited Imperial College and the Science Museum in London
Brighton and Hove City Council said that data was being collected for a period around Walk to School Month – from Monday 11 October to Friday 29 October.
The results will be displayed on screens in the school’s IT suite.
Pupils are also carrying out experiments with a portable unit that they can move around the playground to see how emissions travel.
Councillor Vanessa Brown, the council’s cabinet member for children and young people, said: “This is a wonderful opportunity for children to learn more about their environment from scientific experts and find out how science applies to their world.”
The project is being funded by the European Union Civitas programme.
