A study conducted by Queen Mary University of London and published in the Lancet Public Health journal has found that children in London developed bigger and stronger lungs following the introduction of the Ultra-Low Emissions Zone (Ulez).
The observational study examined the lungs of nearly 1,700 children in London and a similar number in Luton, a town with comparable traffic pollutants but no clean-air zone. Before Ulez, London children had significantly smaller lungs than those in Luton. Over the course of the study, their lung capacity improved to be roughly equal.
Ulez, introduced in 2019 and expanded in 2021 and 2023, charges a daily fee for higher-polluting vehicles. While the study could not directly prove causation, it showed a clear correlation between lung capacity and the Ulez restrictions. Professor Chris Griffiths, one of the study's authors, stated that the implementation of Ulez led to clearer air and was associated with faster lung growth, suggesting confidence in a causal relationship.
Separately, the UK has launched a new alert service this week to inform vulnerable individuals when air pollution levels are high. Sir Chris Whitty, chief medical officer for England, highlighted air pollution as a significant and solvable health problem, with the greatest impacts on vulnerable groups such as children, pregnant women, and those with pre-existing cardiovascular or lung conditions.