Pollution mum’s last push for Ella’s Law
THE mother of a schoolgirl killed by air pollution has called on MPs to back law changes in a vote tomorrow.
Ella Kissi-Debrah, nine, died in 2013 after numerous seizures had seen her hospitalised almost 30 times in three years.
In a landmark ruling last month, assistant coroner Philip Barlow said “excessive air pollution” had contributed to
Ella’s death.
It was the first death to have air pollution listed as a cause.
Now Ella’s mother Rosamund has written to MPs calling for binding limits on deadly nitrogen dioxide levels, a measure she has dubbed “Ella’s Law”.
She also wants public bodies to declare air quality levels annually, with fines for missed targets. Teacher Rosamund said air
pollution is partly responsible for up to 64,000 premature deaths a year.
She urged MPs to vote for changes in the Environment Bill.
Ella had developed a rare form of asthma while living in Catford, south London, about 30 yards from the South Circular Road, one of the city’s busiest highways.
The first inquest in 2014 ruled she had died from acute respiratory failure caused by severe asthma.
But this was quashed thanks to her mother’s tireless campaigning, and after further evidence into the risks of air pollution was revealed in a 2018 report.
Yesterday Rosamund said: “I miss Ella. She was extremely bright.
“It fills me with sadness that she didn’t realise her dream of becoming a pilot.”
Labour’s Geraint Davies said: “We need to vote now for Ella’s Law.”