New reearch undertaken in Belgium has anaylsed the benefits of low emissions zones in Antwerp and Brussels, finding that they have not only improved air quality levels but appear to have had a positive impact on the use of anti-diabetes medication.
The Antwerp and Brussels LEZs were established in February 2017 and January 2018 respectively and the research examined their impact to 2022.
The research found that air quality improved significantly within the LEZ cities compared to cities without such zones. In Brussels, NO₂ levels fell from 29.44 μg/m³ in 2017 to 18.53 μg/m³ in 2022, with black carbon concentrations nearly halving over the same period. Similar improvements were observed in Antwerp.
These gains exceeded those recorded in control cities in other parts of Belgium, suggesting a direct benefit attributable to the LEZs. Significantly, air quality also improved in the areas surrounding the LEZs, implying that the benefits extended beyond the immediate boundaries of the zones. In some adjacent areas, improvements even outpaced those seen within the LEZs themselves, particularly in Antwerp and parts of Brussels.
The second part of study involved examining the relationship between socioeconomic deprivation and exposure to air pollution. Using the Belgian Indices of Multiple Deprivation (BIMD), data revealed that neighbourhoods with higher deprivation consistently experienced worse air quality, both before and after the LEZ implementation.
In 2022, the most deprived neighbourhoods had average NO₂ concentrations of 21.69 μg/m³, while the least deprived had 14.05 μg/m³. However, the decline in pollution levels was steeper in the more deprived areas, indicating that the LEZs not only improved overall air quality but also helped to reduce environmental inequalities.
The third part of the study explored the health impacts of the LEZs. Researchers tracked the use of medications for conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. Generally, it was found that the use of medicines in the LEZ areas was no different to that in other area, with one exception: People living in the Brussels LEZ had a slower increase in the use of diabetes medication compared to those in other cities. A similar pattern was seen in Antwerp, though the evidence was less strong.
The team point out that this is supported by other studies which have shown that air pollution can increase the risk of developing diabetes. Indeed, the European Environment Agency has said that NO₂ pollution has a bigger health impact through diabetes than through other conditions like asthma or stroke.
The full research can be read here.
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