Air pollution was to blame for death of asthma girl, 9
EXPOSURE to air pollution contributed to an asthmatic nine-year- old girl’s death, a landmark inquest ruled yesterday.
Ella Kissi-Debrah, who lived 80ft from London’s congested South Circular Road, endured almost 30 hospital admissions and countless seizures before a fatal asthma attack in February 2013.
Inner South London coroner Philip Barlow concluded yesterday: ‘Ella died of asthma contributed to by exposure to excessive air pollution. The whole of Ella’s life was lived in close proximity to highly polluting roads.’
The previously healthy schoolgirl – who was first diagnosed with asthma in 2010 – is the first person in the UK to have ‘air pollution’ listed as a cause of death on her death certificate.
The ruling marks the culmination of a seven-year battle by her mother Rosamund, 64, to have the role of toxic traffic fumes in her daughter’s death recognised.
Welcoming the coroner’s conclusion, the former teacher said the family finally had the ‘justice’ that the gifted schoolgirl from Lewisham ‘so deserved’.
But she added her efforts were ‘far from over’ as she was fighting for other children still breathing in toxic air. She said she had no i nterest i n playing a ‘ blame game’ but wanted to focus on a public awareness campaign on the risks posed by pollution.
Miss Kissi-Debrah hopes to work with Arnold Schwarzenegger after her campaign was praised by the Hollywood star.
After a second inquest lasting two weeks, Dr Barlow concluded Ella was exposed to excessive levels of nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter pollution – mainly from traffic emissions – her whole life. ‘Air pollution was a significant contributory factor to both the induction and exacerbations of her asthma,’ the coroner said.
‘During the course of her illness between 2010 and 2013 she was exposed to levels of nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter in excess of World Health Organisation guidelines.
‘The principal source of her exposure was traffic emissions.
During this period there was a recognised failure to reduce the level of nitrogen dioxide to within the limits set by EU and domestic law, which possibly contributed to her death.’
He said her mother had not been warned of the pollution’s health risks, which would have led to her taking preventive steps – such as moving home – and helping to prevent her death.
Making legal history, Dr Barlow recorded Ella’s medical cause of death as ‘ 1 a) acute respiratory failure, 1 b) severe asthma, 1 c) air pollution exposure’.
It comes after Miss Kissi-Debrah won a High Court battle for a second inquest when new evidence revealed pollution near her home was at unlawful levels before her daughter’s death.
A previous ruling from 2014, which concluded Ella died of acute respiratory failure possibly triggered by ‘ something in the air’, was quashed by a judge.
Yesterday Miss Kissi-Debrah said that while she was pleased with the outcome she was ‘sad’ that she was never able to tell Ella why she had been so poorly.
Professor Sir Stephen Holgate, author of the report that quashed the initial findings of the first proceedings, said in his evidence to the inquest that Ella was a like a ‘canary in a coalmine’.
Labour MP Geraint Davies, chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Air Pollution, said the case may establish ‘civil liability’ – the basis for a damages claim to local or national government as they have a ‘duty of care to reduce air pollution to safe levels and they have failed’.
‘Canary in a coalmine’