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The British judiciary passed a landmark ruling: a nine-year-old girl was shown to have died as a result of excessive air pollution in her neighborhood. The court criticized the behavior of the authorities as a “failure”.
A UK court has confirmed for the first time a direct link between a person’s death and surrounding air pollution. High levels of pollutants in her district contributed significantly to the death of little Ella Adoo-Kissi-Debrah in 2013, coroner Philip Barlow said at his sentencing before Southwark Coroner’s Court in London after two-week hearings.
Guide values greatly exceeded
She was nine years old when she died of a severe asthma attack in February 2013. The girl lived just 100 feet from a busy main street in Lewisham, south London. She was exposed to “excessive air pollution,” Barlow said in court. The nitrogen dioxide value was above the requirements of the country, the EU and the World Health Organization.
The family was not adequately informed about the high level of air pollution, Barlow said. It expressly noted that there was a “known bug” to lower these values at that time.
Asthma got worse
The boy with asthma had to be hospitalized 27 times. When she was six years old, Ella was placed in an artificial coma for three days to stabilize her condition. In 2012, she was finally declared disabled and her mother had to carry her a lot on her back. He died the following year.
Expert Stephen Holgate noted in the hearing a “striking correspondence” of the times when nitrogen dioxide and fine airborne dust particles reached peak levels and Ella had to be hospitalized. Due to the poor air quality in her neighborhood, she led a life “on the razor’s edge”, every little change “could have dramatic consequences. Researcher Barlow came to the same conclusion.
Reluctant action by authorities
Attorneys for Ella’s family had accused the Lewisham authorities of delaying action against increased air pollution. After measuring poor air quality, it took the district council three years to develop an action plan and then another four years to formally adopt it.
Ella’s mother said during the hearings that she hoped the verdict would “improve the lives of the children in the future.” According to the London City Council, the air pollution limit values recommended by the WHO are exceeded in almost the entire city area.
With information from Thomas Spickhofen, ARD-Studio London
