Ella Adoo-Kissi-Debrah: Ministers apologize to the mother of a girl who died as a result of exposure to excessive air pollution

The government has apologized to the mother of a schoolgirl who became the first person in the UK to be found to have died from air pollution.

Ella Adoo-Kissi-Debrah (9) suffered a fatal asthma attack in February 2013 after being exposed to excessive air pollution. She lived 25 meters from the busy South Circular Road in Lewisham in the south east London.

Following a landmark case in 2020, Ella became Director of… the first person whose air pollution was listed as the cause of death during an investigation in the UK.

Ella’s mother, Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah, has fought for years for official recognition of the role air pollution played in her daughter’s death.

Her late daughter’s estate, managed by Mrs Adoo-Kissi-Debrah, has sued the Department for the Environment (Defra), the Department for Transport and the Department of Health and Social Care for compensation for Ella’s “illness and premature death”.

Government departments have now settled the claim for an undisclosed amount.

A statement from the ministers of the three departments to Ms Adoo-Kissi-Debrah said the government was “truly sorry for your loss” and offered its sincere condolences to her, Ella’s siblings and all who knew her.

The statement admitted that “no child should suffer like Ella did.”

Ella’s mother and siblings, 17-year-old twins Robert and Sophia, met Environment Minister Emma Hardy on Thursday.

Ms Adoo-Kissi-Debrah described it as a “bittersweet” moment to accept the apology.

“It will never bring Ella back. Christmas is coming, it’s always a difficult time,” she said.

“But I think this matters to the general public: air pollution is an invisible killer, and this helps bring it to light.

“While it won’t bring Ella back to health, we finally accept that it is an acknowledgment of what happened to her and puts the issue of air pollution firmly on the map, that this is a public health crisis when we look at the NHS and something needs to be done about it to do.

“Today it finally ended, but I intend to continue and the government has assured me that it will continue to work with me to clean the air.”

She said she received assurances at the meeting that the government would take the issue of air pollution seriously.

In its apology, the government added: “Losing a loved one at such a young age is an immeasurable loss.

“The tireless work undertaken over the years by Ella’s family and friends, especially you, her mother, has shed much-needed light on the dangers posed by air pollution.

“Air pollution is a public health problem that the government is struggling to address.”

The statement also said Ms Adoo-Kissi-Debrah helped ensure the issue was on the government’s agenda.

The meeting was part of the resolution of a civil lawsuit brought by lawyers for Ella’s estate against government authorities for breaches of Ella’s rights under the Human Rights Act, including her right to life.