Low emission zones are successful in cutting air pollution, study finds

Team in Belgium find improvement in air quality after launch of traffic measures in Brussels, Antwerp and Ghent

Low emission zones are successful at reducing air pollution and its effects on health, researchers have found.

The team, working for the Belgian mutual health insurer Mutualités Libres, were looking at the best ways to cut air pollution and its impact on health.

Christian Horemans, part of the research team, said: “The chronic use of medicines for diabetes, cardiac and breathing problems surged over the 10 years of our study, with almost twofold increases. Air pollution contributes to this increase. It has an important impact on public health, but also on health costs.”

Focusing on the air pollution exposure of 420,000 of Mutualités Libres’s members, Horemans’s team evaluated the effects of low emission zones in Brussels, Antwerp and Ghent and found that the zones worked. Air pollution decreased faster inside the zones compared with other cities in Belgium. This included particle pollution and nitrogen dioxide. Furthermore, they found that air pollution gains were not just confined to the zones, they also spilled out for at least 3 miles (5km).

In addition to the air pollution gains, the use of antidiabetic drugs increased at a slower rate in the Brussels zone, compared with other cities. These drugs are used to help lower blood glucose to a healthy range.

Horemans said: “The European Environment Agency estimates that the greatest health impact from nitrogen dioxide comes from increases in diabetes mellitus. Further research may confirm whether the effects we observe here for diabetes are a precursor to possible expected effects on other disease conditions.”

“It is important that the public looks at the benefits of low emission zones in the long run. The benefits of these zones far outweigh the inconveniences of their implementation, especially if it leads to clean air for your children and grandchildren.”

In the UK, economic researchers from the University of Bath have been looking at the introduction of London’s low and ultra-low emission zones. Like the Belgian study, the UK researchers compared air pollution in London to other large UK conurbations. They found greater improvements in London’s air pollution after the zones were implemented, including large reductions in nitrogen dioxide in central London from the ultra-low emission zone.

The researchers then looked at data from Quarterly Labour Force and Annual Population Surveys which are carried out by the Office for National Statistics.

Prof Eleonora Fichera said: “Our research on the introduction of London low emission zone in 2008 and the ultra-low emission zone in 2019 provides evidence that clean air policies deliver substantial health and productivity benefits.

“We found significant improvements in respiratory health and mental wellbeing, as well as an 18.5% reduction in the likelihood of taking sick leave. These results show that the zones not only improved air quality but also contribute to better overall wellbeing and higher labour market participation.”

Cover photo:  People cycling in Brussels. Air pollution decreased faster inside the low emission zones compared with the other cities in Belgium. Photograph: Eric Vidal/Reuters