Ella Kissi-Debrah: Coroner calls for legally binding air pollution targets

The coroner of the nine-year-old schoolgirl whose death in 2013 was ruled as being partially caused by air pollution, has called for a change in the law.

In December 2020, coroner for inner south London Philip Barlow ruled that air pollution caused Ella Kissi-Debrah’s death for the first time in the UK and potentially the world.

Barlow has recommended that legally binding maximum levels of particulate matter air pollution should be lowered in the UK to align with World Health Organisation limits.

In his ruling, Barlow concluded that Ella had been exposed to nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter pollution in excess of WHO guidelines, principally due to traffic emissions from the South Circular near her Lewisham home.

In his report published today (21 April 2021), Barlow explained: ‘The national limits for particulate matter are set at a level far higher than the WHO guidelines.

‘The evidence at the inquest was that there is no safe level for particulate matter and that the WHO guidelines should be seen as minimum requirements. Legally binding targets based on WHO guidelines would reduce the number of deaths from air pollution in the UK.’

Ella’s mother, Rosamund Kissi-Debrah, has also called for UK government to act quickly to incorporate these legally binding air pollution targets: ‘Children are dying unnecessarily because the government is not doing enough to combat air pollution.’

Rosamund further added that she will being contacting George Eustice, Environment Secretary, to urge to enact these new pollution guidelines into law within the Environment Bill and met the targets in the shortest possible time.

The coroner also highlighted that the adverse effects of air pollution on public health are not being adequately communicated to patients nor carers by healthcare professionals, and calls on medical professional bodies to address the gap in training.

‘As the parent of a child suffering from severe asthma, I should have been given this information but this did not happen. I did not take the steps to reduce Ella’s exposure to air pollution that might have saved her life,’ Rosamund concluded.

Government bodies have a duty to respond to the report within 56 days and must outline details of action taken or proposed to be taken.

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Photo Credit: Ella Roberta Foundation