London ULEZ linked to faster child lung growth

A major study has found that air quality improvements following the introduction of London's Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) are strongly linked to accelerated lung growth in children, helping to reverse damage caused by pollution. The research, published on August 19, 2026, in The Lancet Public Health, provides what scientists say is the strongest evidence yet that clean air zones can benefit child development.

The five-year study, led by Queen Mary University of London, tracked the lung health of more than 3,400 children aged six to nine from 84 primary schools in London and Luton. Luton served as a control site because it has a similar mix of traffic pollutants but no clean air zone. Researchers measured the children's lung capacity annually from 2018 to 2022, spanning the period before and after the ULEZ was introduced in 2019.

Initial measurements taken before the ULEZ was implemented showed that children in London had significantly smaller lungs compared to their peers in Luton. However, data collected over the five years indicated that after the zone's introduction, the lung size and health of London children accelerated and improved to become comparable with those in...