A British court has determined that excessive air pollution was responsible for the death of a nine-year-old London girl.

According to a coroner’s report, Ella Adoo-Kissi-Debrah died February 13, 2013, from cardiac arrest due to a severe asthma attack. Although the asthma attack was listed as her initial cause of death, assistant coroner Philip Barlow added two other variants – acute respiratory failure and air pollution exposure. 

The landmark determination found extortionately high exposure to nitrogen dioxide (NO2) from traffic emissions caused and intensified her asthma. The brief also stated Ella had been exposed to levels of NO2 that surpassed those considered safe by determined by the World Health Organization.

Barlow further concluded that if Ella’s mother, Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah, had been given that information, she could’ve possibly prevented her child’s death.

BBC reported that Ella had been admitted to the hospital 27 times over three years, and she had also endured seizures. 

The young girl initially went into the hospital after suffering from a coughing fit in 2010. When she was six years old, physicians placed her in a medically-induced coma for three days to stabilize her condition. She was later categorized as disabled, and Rosamund opted to carry her daughter around on her back because of Ella’s deteriorating health.

“I think people need to understand when Ella was rushed into hospital, a lot of the time she was barely breathing,” Rosamund told BBC.

She expressed that the findings were shocking but that she was relieved she got justice for her daughter.

According to the publication, a 2018 study found levels of pollution higher than those deemed legal by the U.K.’s standards approximately one mile from where Ella resided. The report also concluded minority and economically-disadvantaged families are more likely to live in these conditions with no knowledge of the damage that's being done. During the inquiry, her family disclosed that they weren’t aware of the risks air pollution caused. 

Rosamund’s attorney, Jocelyn Cockburn, responded to the high court’s findings in a statement. 

“Air pollution has never been cited as a potential cause of death and, therefore, never investigated in relation to the death of anyone in this country or, in fact, worldwide,” the civil liberties attorney said. “Air pollution is affecting lives now – our children are being exposed and lives being blighted now. Joined-up government action must come from our government to ensure lives are saved, not lost.”

London Mayor Sadiq Khan also commented on the unprecedented ruling. 

“The coroner has today concluded that air pollution played a role in the tragic death of nine-year-old Ella Adoo-Kissi-Debrah in 2013,” Khan wrote in a statement.  

“This is a landmark moment and is thanks to the years of tireless campaigning by Ella’s mother Rosamund, who has shown an extraordinary amount of courage,” he continued, crediting Ella’s mother for advocating for others as she grieved her daughter’s death. “I’m delighted that I have been able to support the family in their efforts to get the original inquest overturned and securing today’s important finding. Today must be a turning point so that other families do not have to suffer the same heartbreak as Ella’s family.

According to the press release, the mayor has been credited with implementing some of the world’s most aggressive and progressive clean air policies. In October 2021, Khan is set to enforce the Ultra Low Emission Zone Act. 

He has also enacted a plethora of policies to better air quality in London. Before his tenure, NO2 levels throughout the city were horrendous. And scientists even suggested that if changes hadn’t been made, it would’ve taken almost 200 years for the city to be legally compliant concerning the city’s air quality.

air pollutionElla Adoo Kissi DebrahEnvironmental Racism