Clean Air Zone Nets Health Authority Over £30K per Month

England’s second largest city has proven once and for all that clean air zones work. An article published in The Guardian reports how the 22.4 square kilometer zone in Bradford netted the National Health Service £30,700 per month in savings in its first year due to decreased GP and ER visits. While many past studies have shown that such zones, which exist throughout Europe, reduce air pollution, relatively fewer have managed to draw a clear link to actual improvements in health — a tougher feat.

The results of this study, however, are astounding. As Gary Fuller reports for The Guardian, one year of the clean air zone resulted in a whopping 25 percent decrease in GP visits for respiratory illnesses and 24 percent decrease for heart problems, as well as a drop in ER visits for breathing problems.

Fuller quoted Prof Rosie McEachan, the director of NHS Born in Bradford, who led the study: “20% of the city population live inside the zone. These families tend to be the poorest, and most likely to suffer ill health. They are also less likely to cause pollution in the first place.” As an additional benefit, the study showed that the health impacts actually extended to the entire city, not just those in the zone, and that the benefits are increasing over time.

See the article, which links to the full study, below.