UK Government to reimburse bereaved family of nine-year-old child for first recognition of 'air pollution death'

For the first time in the UK, the bereaved family of a child whose air pollution was recognized as a cause of death has received a settlement from the government.

According to The Times and BBC, the bereaved family of Ella Kish-Debrah (aged nine at the time of her death) who lived in south-east London and died in 2013 has settled a claim for damages against the government.

The amount of the settlement was not disclosed.

Ella, who died of an asthma attack, was the first person in the UK to have air pollution recorded as a cause of death on her death certificate in 2020.

Ella lived at home 25m from the high-traffic southern ring road and walked to and from school, started suffering from asthma ahead of her seven-year-old birthday and suffers several seizures until she died.After learning that the air pollution around the

house was severe, her mother, Rogermond, went to find out.

Eventually, the coroner's court conducted a review of the cause of death in 2020 and concluded that exposure to air pollution had a substantial impact on Ella's death.

According to the court decision, levels of nitrogen dioxide and fine dust near Ella's home exceeded the World Health Organization (WHO) and European Union (EU) guidelines as well as UK domestic standards.

A memorial foundation led by Rogermond later filed a lawsuit against the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture, the Department of Transportation and the Department of Health and Human Services seeking damages in connection with Ella's death.

Rogermond is calling on the government and Congress to enact the Ella Act, which defines the right to breathe clean air as a human right.