Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah, whose daughter Ella had air pollution recognised as a factor in her death, has settled legal action against the UK Government.
Nine-year old Ella, who died following a fatal asthma attack in 2013, was the first person in the UK to have air pollution recognised by Southwark Coroner’s Court as making a “material contribution” to her death. She lived 25 metres from the South Circular Road in Lewisham and was exposed to excessive air pollution, which with levels above recommended guidelines, according to the coroner.
The UK Government said that it was “truly sorry” for Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah’s loss, and was committed to delivering an “ambitious” clear air strategy.
Adoo-Kissi-Debrah, who is a WHO BreatheLife Ambassador and Founder/Director of the Ella Roberta Foundation, told the Transport + Energy Forum last year that she believes that the UK is in a public health crisis.
She said: “As I stand here today, 7.74m people are on the NHS waiting list. We know that air pollution impacts every organ in our bodies. We have to lower emissions.”
Rosamund argues that the costs of transition will be more than offset by public health savings made by the NHS.
She met today with Defra minister Emma Hardy and argued that more needs to be “urgently done” to improve air quality – and she was “ready to assist” government, urging them to introduce Ella’s Law, which includes the right to breathe clean air as a basic human right.
Speaking today following the undisclosed settlement, she told BBC London: “It’s a David and Goliath situation. I was never going to win. You can’t win because your child is already dead.
“But it was about the recognition, the justice, and I wanted them to do something.”
“I’m going to say it again and again. Ella isn’t the only one. The fact that in 2024 children continue to die from asthma is not acceptable.”
Image of Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah from the T+E Forum last year.
