In a groundbreaking decision, a UK coroner has ruled that air pollution contributed to the death of 9-year-old Ella Kissi-Debrah, marking the first such official recognition in the country.
Ella tragically passed away in 2013 at age 9 from a severe asthma attack, following three years of serious respiratory problems, as detailed by The Guardian on December 16, 2020. The coroner confirmed that while acute respiratory failure from severe asthma was the primary cause, chronic exposure to high levels of air pollution also played a key role.
This finding was not included in the initial 2014 inquest. After seven years of determined advocacy, her death certificate now bears this crucial new mention.
Ella lived in Lewisham, southeast London, near the busy South Circular Road—a heavily trafficked route. Data from the three years before her death showed pollution levels exceeding EU limits, which are based on World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines.
This unprecedented UK verdict is a major win for Ella's mother, Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah. She has founded a charity to improve life for children with asthma and now advocates for better health and air quality at the WHO.
The WHO reports around 4.2 million deaths annually from air pollution, with 91% of the global population exposed to levels above recommended guidelines. In the UK, The Guardian notes 28,000 to 36,000 deaths each year. In France, a 2019 Le Monde article estimated nearly 50,000 per year.
