A recent study from Queen Mary University London (QMUL) has shown a significant reversal in children's lung health in the capital. Scientists found that children's lungs have grown bigger and stronger since the most polluting vehicles were restricted on London's roads.
The Ultra-Low Emission Zone (Ulez), introduced by London's mayor Sadiq Khan in 2019 and expanded in 2021 and 2023, charges £12.50 a day for vehicles that do not meet stringent emission standards. This initiative has drastically cut levels of nitrogen dioxide, a harmful pollutant.
In the late 2010s, between 6,000 and 8,000 people were dying prematurely each year in London due to air pollution. In 2020, an inquest determined that air pollution was a direct cause of Ella Adoo-Kissi-Debrah's death in 2013, marking the first time it was listed as a cause of death in the UK.
Professor Nick Hopkinson of Imperial College London noted that the QMUL study's findings were not surprising, citing extensive evidence that air pollution is a major cause of ill health and premature death globally. The World Health Organization states that air pollution kills 7 million people worldwide annually.