Clean air zone linked to improved lung development in children

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By Emma Wilkinson

Improvements in air quality following the introduction of the Ultra Low Emission Zone in London has led to accelerated lung growth in children, a large study has found.

The analysis of 3,400 primary school children living in London and Luton – a comparator city where there is no clean air zone – found “improved lung function growth trajectories” after the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) came in.

It suggests that previous stunted lung development associated with pollution in the capital has been restored and the findings support wider adoption of ambitious clean air zones around the country, the researchers led by Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) concluded.

Reporting their findings in The Lancet Public Health, the team explained they monitored children’s lung size and health at annual checks at 84 primary schools in London and Luton over a five-year period before and after ULEZ was implemented.

Initial lung capacity measurements – measured with spirometry – taken before the ULEZ was introduced showed that children in London had significantly smaller lungs compared to children living in Luton.