London restricted highly polluting cars. Children’s lungs are getting healthier, study suggests
London's ULEZ Linked to Recovering Lung Function in Children, New Research Shows
Qwenews.com – A team of scientists from Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) has published findings indicating that the city's Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) is "strongly" connected with measurable gains in paediatric lung development. The research, spanning five years of annual school-based assessments, suggests that air-quality improvements following the zone's launch in 2019 allowed previously stunted lung growth to rebound toward normal levels.
"We already knew that the ULEZ reduced air pollution but now we know that children's lung health has improved at the same time, which is a really important finding for children and parents living in London," said study lead author Helen Wood, a research fellow at QMUL, in a statement Wednesday.
The Charge and Its Geographic Reach
Introduced in April 2019 by then-newly inaugurated Mayor Sadiq Khan, the ULEZ levies a £12.50 ($17) fee on vehicles failing to meet strict emissions thresholds. The charge operates around the clock, every day of the week. Though it originally encompassed only the inner city, the zone was extended in August 2023 to include London's outer boroughs and suburban areas, making the capital one of the most costly places in the world to drive a high-polluting vehicle.
Study Design and Control Site
Researchers followed more than 3,400 children between the ages of 6 and 9, drawn from 84 schools across London and Luton, a town roughly 30 miles to the north. The tracking window ran from 2018 through 2022, with annual visits to measure lung size and function. Luton served as the comparison site: it shares a comparable profile of traffic-related pollutants yet never adopted a clean-air charge zone.
What the Data Revealed
At the outset of the study, London children displayed "significantly" smaller lung capacity than their Luton counterparts. Over the five-year observation period, however, the gap narrowed. By the study's conclusion, London children's lung size and health had recovered to levels comparable with those recorded in the control town.
The proportion of children exhibiting clinically impaired lung function dropped from 14% to 9% in London, while the corresponding figure in Luton fell from 9% to 7%, according to the study statement. Luton's local council did implement modest air-quality measures during the period—lowering speed limits and expanding cycling and walking infrastructure—but no equivalent emissions-charge scheme was introduced.
Long-Term Health Stakes
Researchers emphasised that children whose lungs do not reach full capacity by early adulthood face elevated risks of asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)—encompassing emphysema and chronic bronchitis—alongside cardiovascular and metabolic disorders, and premature mortality. The demonstration that lung-health deficits can be reversed, they argued, carries "major implications for improving the long-term health of children."
The authors described their work as the first evidence that clean-air zones, now operating in a growing number of cities worldwide, may confer developmental benefits on children specifically.
"Air pollution is a global issue. If we want to improve the lives of children living in high-traffic urban environments, we need bold and ambitious measures," said joint senior author Ian Mudway, associate professor in the School of Public Health at Imperial College London, in the statement. "Our data demonstrates that clean air zones can be an effective public health intervention to prevent damage to developing lungs."
Independent Scrutiny
Stephen Burgess, a professor of biostatistics at the University of Cambridge who was not part of the research team, told the Science Media Centre that he had approached the work "with a high level of scepticism."
"My expectation was that the ULEZ regulations would have little measurable impact on child health," he said. "However, the findings are striking."
Burgess nonetheless noted that alternative explanations for the observed improvement in lung function could not be entirely ruled out.
Political Backlash and the Mayor's Response
Khan, who faced sustained opposition from every mainstream UK political party when the ULEZ was first proposed, published an op-ed in The Guardian on Tuesday. He described implementing the scheme as "my hardest decision as mayor of London."
"For years, politicians and pundits opposed to the Ulez have cynically sought to turn questions of public health into a crude culture war," wrote Khan. "Today, though, it's clear that we're winning the battle against toxic air in the capital – and it's London's children who are reaping the rewards."
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