‘Long and painful road’ to formal apology for Ella’s pollution-related death

The mother of a girl who died from an asthma attack caused by pollution has vowed to continue her fight for clean air, accepting a government apology over her daughter’s death.

Rosamund Adu-Kissi-Debrah said it had been an “incredibly long and painful journey” to the point where she received official recognition of what happened to her daughter and labeled air pollution a public health crisis.

Ella Adu-Kissi-Debra, a nine-year-old girl from south-east London, suffered a fatal asthma attack in February 2013 due to excessive air pollution.

In a landmark coroner’s case in 2020, Ella, who lived 25 meters from the busy South Circular Road in Lewisham, became the first person to have air pollution listed as a cause of death in a UK inquest.

Ella’s estate, of which Ms Adu-Kissi-Debrah is the administrator, is suing the Department of the Environment (Defra), the Department for Transport and the Department of Health and Social Care, seeking compensation for her “illness and premature death”.

Three government departments settled the lawsuit brought by law firm Hodge Jones & Allen for an undisclosed amount and released a statement saying that Ms. Adu-Kissi-Debrah “we are truly sorry for your loss” and that no child should suffer like Ella did.

Ms Adu-Kissi-Debra and Ella’s siblings, 17-year-old twins Robert and Sophia, met Environment Minister Emma Hardy at Defra’s offices in London on Thursday as part of the settlement.

Speaking afterwards, Ms Adu-Kissi-Debrah said it was a “bittersweet” moment to receive the government’s apology.

She said: “We got an apology from the mayor, we got an apology from the government. This will never bring Ella back. We’re approaching Christmas, it’s always a difficult time.

“But I think this is important for the general public: air pollution is an invisible killer, and this really helps bring that to light.

“While this won’t bring Ella back, we will finally recognize that it is an acknowledgment of what happened to her and put air pollution firmly on the map, that it is a public health crisis when we look at the NHS. , and something needs to be done about it.

“Today it’s finally over, but I’m going to continue and the government has assured me that they will continue to work with me to clean up the air.”

As ministers grapple with the crisis in the NHS, she highlighted the role of air pollution in cancer, obesity and other diseases and warned: “If you don’t clean up the air, you can’t lead the NHS. »

She also said there was an economic case for tackling air pollution that keeps people unable to work due to illness, adding: “It’s affecting the health of the nation, it’s a public health crisis.”

She warned that Ella remains the only person in the world to have air pollution listed on her death certificate, even though seven million people die prematurely every year, and she was told that another child had died in London from asthma.

“No child should die in 2024,” she told reporters outside Defra.

“It’s not just about Ella, it’s about all the kids.”

Ms Adu-Kissi-Debrah said she received assurances at the meeting, which lasted well beyond the expected 30 minutes, that the government was going to take the issue of air pollution seriously.

She said she had pushed for a public health campaign and, following controversy over the expansion of the Ulez Clean Air Zone in London, she said it was important to educate people about the “invisible” threat posed by air pollution.

The Clean Air Act is still needed, she said.

“For me, this is a matter of the health of the nation. It’s not about Ella. I listed air pollution on her death certificate and that’s all I could do for her.

“Now we are talking about you, about me, our children, the most vulnerable, including the elderly.”

A letter to Ms Adu-Kissi-Debrah from the three departments involved in the court case said the government “sincerely regrets your loss” and expressed its sincere condolences to her, Ella’s siblings and everyone who knew her.

A statement from ministers from the three departments acknowledged that “no child should suffer as Ella did” and said: “Losing a loved one at such a young age is an immeasurable loss.

“The tireless work done by Ella’s family and friends over the years, particularly by you, her mother, has shed much-needed light on the dangers of air pollution.

“Air pollution is a public health issue that the government is committed to addressing,” the statement said, adding that Ms Adu-Kissi-Debrah had helped ensure the issue was firmly on the government’s agenda.