Stop the devastating impact of air pollution: Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah tells our government to take action

Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah is a clean air campaigner. Her daughter, Ella, died at the age of nine, of a fatal asthma attack. After a ground-breaking legal case, Ella is the first person in the world to have air pollution listed as a cause of death on her death certificate. Here Rosamund tells us why we need to take action now and use our voices to make the government act.

Rosamund Adoo Kissi Debrah
Published 21st April 2022

After my daughter died in 2013, and we realised the role air pollution played in her death, we campaigned to have a second inquest in 2020. The coroner at the inquest not only said that air pollution contributed to Ella’s death, he also wrote a Prevention of Future Deaths report, outlining the actions the government must urgently take to clean up the air we breathe and prevent more deaths.

Today marks the one year anniversary (21/4/21) of that report, which recommended the government adopt the World Health Organization (WHO) air quality guidelines as a minimum requirement. At the same time, the government is consulting on what the new UK air pollution limits should be, as part of the Environment Act.

A public consultation

The government has offered us a public consultation, where they suggest air pollution limits, and the public responds. We have constantly been reassured by the government that their target-setting would be ambitious. Before this process began, the Prime Minister wrote to me and assured me he would take the coroner's report into account. However, I don’t believe that’s been the case. I believe the government has chosen very unambitious targets.

What are the targets?

They suggest that we reach the WHO guidelines set in 2005, in 2040, 35 years after they were introduced. New WHO guidelines have subsequently been written, which are lower than the 2005 limits, based on science that indicates that millions of lives could be saved by this further reduction. I believe these are the guidelines that should be adopted, not the outdated limits from 2005.

So, what can we do?

People often ask me what they can do to improve air pollution. Well, here is an opportunity to really do something. We must all participate in the air pollution consultation and show the government we care. We can’t leave it up to a few people in government to make this decision for everyone. It’s important to all of us; air pollution affects everyone. It’s a public health issue and particularly affects the health of the most vulnerable in society, the elderly and children. Stop what happened to my daughter from happening to another child, another family.

How will less air pollution help?

Lower air pollution limits will improve the future health of the nation. Children continue to die from asthma despite there being better medicine and better expertise. There's a direct link between air pollution and heart disease, strokes, cancer and asthma. We spend billions of pounds on these illnesses in the National Health Service, why wouldn’t we try to prevent them instead? Join me and do the consultation.

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