Researchers at Imperial College London have predicted that life expectancy for children in the UK capital could improve by six months if air quality improved following policy changes.
A new report found that London’s specific air-quality policies, alongside wider improvements in air quality, will increase the average life expectancy of a child born in London in 2013, compared with 2013 concentrations remaining unchanged.
The researchers, from the School of Public Health’s Environmental Research Group, used known and projected levels of air pollution from 2013 to 2050 to assess the impact on health of air quality policies. These include policies introduced by the mayor of London, such as low and ultra-low emission zones.
Furthermore, the study, commissioned through Imperial Projects by the Greater London Authority and Transport for London, looked at potential future London policies and background trends resulting from the predicted effects of national and international policies in London.
According to the researchers, using the mayor’s ‘air-quality policies scenario’, the study found that London’s population would gain around 6.1 million ‘life years’ – or one person living for one year – across the population in the long-term, compared to if pollution levels remained at 2013 concentrations.
The team added that, if London is able to meet World Health Organisation guidelines on particulate matter by 2030, the population would gain a further 20% increase in life years saved over the next 20 years.
Dr Heather Walton, from Imperial College London’s Environmental Research Group, said: “For our study we used a new method to produce the latest estimate of the burden of air pollution on mortality in London in 2019.
“It is encouraging that we predict good gains in life years across the population over time from air pollution reductions as a result of air quality policies, including those targeted at London.”
