Source: BBC Image credit: Matt Brown, Wikimedia Commons

Researchers have been surprised by the fast rate of young children’s lungs recovering after pollution restrictions were implemented in their home environments.

In London, in 2019, Ultra Low Emission zones were implemented by Mayor Sadiq Khan to improve the air quality of the English capital, with it having reportedly high levels of the harmful nitrogen dioxide gas, which comes from motor vehicles:

• A result of this measure was older, and more polluting vehicles having to pay daily charges for driving around central London, which was later expanded to the whole capital.
• This is thought to have encouraged more people to consider alternative zero-emission forms of transportation such as walking and cycling.

Study testing effects in ULEZ and other air pollution improvement areas

After testing the lung functions of 3,400 primary school children annually in London and Luton, these study results are believed to be the strongest evidence yet that some of the effects of pollution can be reduced by local clean air zones.

Independent researchers also caution that other factors should be considered.

Researching the improvement of air pollution with children’s lung capacity

Due to it impeding the growth of young children’s lungs, air pollution can leave young children with an increased risk of asthma, heart disease, and diabetes, as well as premature death.

As their lungs and immune systems are still developing, and they are closer to the grounded and nearer exhaust fume sources (when outside), they are more vulnerable to pollution compared to other groups in society.

The first person in the UK to have air pollution to be listed as a cause of death was a nine year old girl from London, Ella Adoo-Kissi-Debrah, who died following an asthma attack.

Study details

The study involved researchers studying six-to-nine year olds in London’s ultra low emission zone for five years, and comparing them to children in Luton that had a similar socio-economic background, physical activity and ethnicity.

Research looked at the lung function and capacity tests of the children the year before the ULEZ came in, and for the four years after.

Testing included measuring the amount of air children could forcefully breathe out after a large breath in, and measuring the level of nitrogen dioxide exposure.

Study results

Findings from the study showed, in London:

• The amount of children with a lung capacity considered as “clinically impaired” fell from 14% to 9%.
• In Luton, where smaller scale measures have been implemented to tackle air pollution, the proportion of children with “clinically impaired” lung capacity decreased from 9% to 7%.

It was also uncovered during the study period, that in London, nitrogen dioxide exposure decreased faster than Luton, leading researchers to correlate the implementation of ULEZ with air quality improvements.

Researchers said the following about the findings of the improvement in children’s lung capacity in both London and Luton.
“While we would expect children’s lungs to grow year on year, our results indicate that the London children’s lung growth had accelerated during the four years to ‘catch up’ with the control group in Luton to reach similar levels of lung capacity,”

A senior author on the study, Prof Chris Griffiths, from Queen Mary University of London, told the BBC:

“The speed of catch up in lung capacity in the London group was surprising and impressive. This shows an ambitious clean air zone can drive pollution levels down, rapidly restoring children’s stunted lung growth.”

Another factor that could have contributed to the positive results in London is that more children may have walked or cycled to school once ULEZ was implemented.