In A Landmark Judgement, UK Coroner Rules Air Pollution Cause Of 9-year-old's Death

In a first, a coroner wrote down air pollution as the cause of death of a 9-year-old girl Ella Kissi-Debrah. Philip Barlow who gave this landmark judgement said that Ella Kissi-Debrah’s death in February 2013 was caused by acute respiratory failure, severe asthma and air pollution exposure.

“Ella died of asthma contributed to by exposure to excessive air pollution,” he said on Wednesday.

He also said that Debrah was exposed to nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter pollution more than the limit defined the World Health Organisation's guidelines. The main source of pollution was traffic emissions. It was on the government to reduce the air pollution levels and also provide information to Debrah's mother about the adverse effects of air pollution of her daughter who was an asthma patient.

Since the last seven years, Debrah's mother along with her lawyer was fighting for this very judgement. She also presented several scientific facts that proved her daughter's asthma was exacerbated by the air pollution levels in London.

The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, called pollution a public health crisis and also praised the coroner judgement by calling it a “landmark moment”

“Today must be a turning point so that other families do not have to suffer the same heartbreak as Ella’s family. Toxic air pollution is a public health crisis, especially for our children, and the inquest underlined yet again the importance of pushing ahead with bold policies such as expanding the ultra-low emission zone to inner London.”

Also Read: Delhi Pollution Crisis Raises Alarm On Decreased Life Expectancy

United Kingdom government's spokesperson was quoted saying,  “Our thoughts remain with Ella’s family and friends. We are delivering a £3.8bn plan to clean up transport and tackle NO2 pollution, and going further in protecting communities from air pollution, particularly PM2.5 pollution, which we know is particularly harmful to people’s health. Through our landmark environment bill, we are also setting ambitious new air-quality targets, with a primary focus on reducing public health impacts.”