‘Long and painful journey’ to official apology for Ella’s pollution-linked death

The mother of a girl who died from a pollution-linked asthma attack has vowed to continue the fight for clean air as she accepted a Government apology over her daughter’s death.

Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah said it had been an “incredibly long and painful journey” to the point where she received an official acknowledgement of what happened to her daughter and put air pollution on the map as a public health crisis.

Ella Adoo-Kissi-Debrah, a nine-year-old from south-east London, suffered a fatal asthma attack in February 2013 after being exposed to excessive air pollution.

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

Ella’s estate, over which Ms Adoo-Kissi-Debrah acts as administrator, sued the Environment Department (Defra), the Department for Transport and the Department of Health and Social Care for compensation over her “illness and premature death”.

The three Government departments have settled the claim brought by law firm Hodge Jones & Allen for an undisclosed sum, and issued a statement telling Ms Adoo-Kissi-Debrah “we are truly sorry for your loss” and that no child should have to suffer as Ella did.

Ms Adoo-Kissi-Debrah and Ella’s siblings, 17-year-old twins Robert and Sophia, had a meeting with environment minister Emma Hardy at the Defra offices in London on Thursday as part of the settlement.

Speaking afterwards, Ms Adoo-Kissi-Debrah said it was a “bittersweet” moment to receive the Government apology.

She said: “We’ve got an apology from the mayor, we’ve got an apology from the Government. It’s never going to bring Ella back. We’re heading to Christmas, it’s always a hard time.

“But I think for the general public, this matters: air pollution is an invisible killer, and this does help bringing it to light.

“Although this isn’t going to bring Ella back, we finally accept this is acknowledgement of what happened to her, and to put the issue of air pollution firmly on the map, that it’s a public health crisis, when we look at the NHS, and something needs to be done about it.

“Today it is finally over, but I am going to continue, and I have been reassured by the Government that they’re going to be continuing to work with me to clean up the air.”

As ministers grapple with a crisis in the NHS, she pointed to air pollution’s role in cancer, obesity and other diseases, and warned: “Unless you clean up the air, you aren’t going to get on top of the National Health Service.”

She also said there is an economic argument for tackling air pollution, which keeps people off work with illness, adding: “This is affecting the nation’s health, this is a public health crisis.”

She warned that Ella remains the only person in the world to have air pollution on her death certificate, although seven million people die prematurely every year, and she had been given news another child had died in London through asthma.

“No child in 2024 should be dying,” she told journalists outside Defra.

“This isn’t just about Ella, this is about all children.”

Ms Adoo-Kissi-Debrah said she had received assurances in the meeting, which ran well over its expected 30 minutes, that the Government is going to be taking the issue of air pollution seriously.

She said she pushed for a public health campaign – and in the wake of the controversy over the expansion of the Ulez clean air zone in London, she said it is important to educate people on the “invisible” threat posed by air pollution.

A Clean Air Act is still needed, she added.

“For me, it’s about the nation’s health. This isn’t about Ella. I got air pollution on her death certificate, and that’s the most I could do for her.

“This is now about you, me, our children, the most vulnerable, and that includes the elderly as well.”

A letter to Ms Adoo-Kissi-Debrah from the three departments involved in the legal case said Government is “truly sorry for your loss” and expressed sincere condolences to her, Ella’s siblings and everyone who knew her.

The statement from ministers of the three departments acknowledged “no child should suffer as Ella did”, and said: “To lose a loved one at such a young age is an immeasurable loss.

“The tireless work undertaken by Ella’s family and friends over the years, in particular by you, her mother, has shone a much-needed spotlight on the dangers posed by air pollution.

“Air pollution is a public health issue that this Government is committed to tackling,” the statement said, adding that Ms Adoo-Kissi-Debrah had helped to ensure the issue is firmly on the Government’s agenda.

Ms Hardy said: “It was a privilege to meet Ella’s mother Rosamund and her siblings today to express my deepest condolences in person.

“Air pollution is a public health issue, and I want to pay tribute to Ms Adoo-Kissi-Debrah who continues to campaign tirelessly to shine a much-needed spotlight on this.

“Quite simply, young children should not have to suffer as Ella did. We are grateful for the family’s work and very much hope to continue to engage with them.

“By working together in the years to come, more can be achieved in improving not only the quality of the air we breathe but also in raising awareness of the health implications of air pollution.”