Ella Kissi-Debrah’s mother advocates for an ‘Ella’s Law’ to effectively tackle air pollution to prevent further suffering.
Rosamund Kissi-Debrah, teacher and World Health Organisation advocate, wrote an open letter to MPs urging them to consider Ella when voting for the Environment Bill.
Rosamund’s daughter was nine years old when she died after multiple seizures and almost 30 hospital admissions. The coroner’s inquest last month found Ella’s death was caused by severe asthma, acute respiratory failure, and air pollution exposure.
Coroner Philip Barlow stated Ella has been exposed to ‘excessive’ levels of air pollution and that levels of nitrogen dioxide near her home by the South Circular in Lewisham, exceeded WHO guidelines.
This makes Ella the first person in the UK, and potentially the world, whose death has been officially attributed to poor air quality.
However, Rosamund highlights that recent estimates suggest 64,000 premature deaths in the UK are caused by air pollution, and calls for firmer limits on nitrogen dioxide levels.
Her letter asks MPs this week to back the Environment Bill amendment making clean air targets legally binding and enforceable.
Another amendment would make all government departments and public bodies declare their own air quality levels in annual reports, with penalties imposed on those that miss targets
Rosamund’s campaign to create ‘Ella’s Law’ would replace outdated clean air legislation, as well as generating more focus on indoor air pollution. Rosamund highlighted WCRAQ Air Health Chair Professor Sir Stephen Holgate’s research indicating that indoor air quality can often be 13 times worse than air outside.
Rosamund is also honorary president of the BESA Health & Wellbeing in Buildings group, and has called in all building professionals to work for the protection of children by improving indoor air quality.
