Mother to Sue UK Government Over Daughter’s Death, Caused By Air Pollution

10 years after the passing of her daughter, one mother is suing the UK government over the air London air pollution that contributed to the fatality.

Fatal Pollution

In 2013, 9-year-old Ella Adoo-Kissi-Debrah passed away from a fatal asthma attack. She would later become the first person in the UK to have air pollution recognized as a significant factor in her death. 

Suing the Government

More than a decade later, her mother Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah is suing three government departments for her daughters death, and is calling for an official apology from the UK government. 

Not About the Money

Lawyers on the case have estimated potential damages at around £293,156 – approximately $380,000 USD – if the case is successful. But Adoo-Kissi-Debrah maintains that the case is not about monetary compensation. 

Holding Their “Feet to the Fire”

Instead, she claimed that the lawsuit would be an effort to hold government ministers “feet to the fire” over their attitude and approach to air pollution. 

Demanding an Apology

She also hopes to establish a “legal right to clean air” for UK citizens. And above all, she wants a formal apology from the government, with its policies on pollution being the cause of her daughters death, in her eyes. 

“First and Foremost”

“An apology, first and foremost … for what Ella went through,” Adoo-Kissi-Debrah told PA Media reporters following a preliminary hearing for the case on Monday.

First the Mayor, Now the Government

“We got it from the London mayor, we expect the same from the Government,” she said.

Acknowledging the Tragedy

A government spokesperson responded to the announcement saying, “Ella Adoo-Kissi-Debrah’s death was a tragedy and our thoughts remain with her friends and family.”

Refuting the Claims

The UK government has opposed Adoo-Kissi-Debrah’s claim, and believes that estimated damages should only amount to £30,000 – or $38,000 USD – if the case is successful.

Three Agencies

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Department for Transport and the Department of Health and Social Care, all of which are implicated in the case, have also separately disputed it’s claims.

London Mayor Acknowledges

It is not the first time public officials have acknowledged the tragic 2013 death in recent years. Last year the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, released a statement on the 10-year anniversary of Ella’s passing.

“Our Toxic Air”

“Ella was a bright, happy, energetic schoolgirl who dreamed of becoming an air ambulance doctor, but whose life was cruelly cut short by an invisible killer – our toxic air,” Khan said.  “Across our city today children are being poisoned and lives are being blighted because the air we breathe every day isn’t as safe as it should be.”

A 7-Year Fight

This public recognition didn’t come easily for Adoo-Kissi-Debrah. The grieving mother spent 7 years fighting to have toxic air pollution recognized as a contributing cause of her daughter’s death. 

Coroner’s Inquest Agrees

In a landmark case in 2020, a coroner’s inquest officially ruled that air pollution had been a cause of the 9-year-olds death, the first time in UK history that such a ruling had been made.

Dangerous Levels of Nitrogen Dioxide

Coroner Philip Barlow ruled that levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) around the family home in Lewisham, a borough in southeast London, were higher than the World Health Organization and European Union safety guidelines. 

Not Enough Has Been Done

Since then, Adoo-Kissi-Debrah claims that very little material changes have been made to government policies since the coroners report. While the UK government established targets to reduce harmful air pollution exposure by 2040, but she claims it is not enough.

Clean Air is “A Long Way Off”

“A child born today would not get clean air until they are 16, which is a long way off,” she said. “Unless the Government clean up the air, children like Ella are going to continue to die.”

Calling for Change

Adoo-Kissi-Debrah has called on the government to use the coroners inquest in her daughters case, and other evidence collected concerning the health impacts of air pollution, to take a more concrete stance on the issue.

More Legislation Needed

“It’s high time we had a public health campaign about the impact of air pollution on health,” she said.  “You can be the best campaigner in the world but unless you have legislation I don’t think it’s going to amount to much.”

10-Day Trial

The lawsuit will go ahead, with a 10-day trial expected at a later date.

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Featured Image Credit: Shutterstock / Artem Zarubin.