Mother whose 9-year-old daughter died of asthma welcomes London's new low-emission zones
Ella Kissi-Debrah died in 2013. Her mother says air pollution was a contributing factor
In the years before nine-year-old Ella Kissi-Debrah died, the little girl had "a smoker's cough."
"She was constantly choking, and constantly fighting to breathe," said her mother Rosamund Kissi-Debrah.
"When she had the first inquest, the pathologist said it was one of the worst cases ever of asthma ever recorded in the U.K."
Ella died of an asthma attack in 2013. Her mother, who lives in south London, believes that air pollution from traffic near their home was a contributing factor. She's fighting for a new inquest, and to have that recorded on the death certificate.
Her story helped to inspire a new Ultra Low Emission Zone in central London, which came into effect Monday. Anyone driving a diesel car, a petrol vehicle older than 14 years, or a larger vehicle will have to pay around $20 Cdn to pass through the zone. The first of its kind globally, it aims to reduce harmful nitrogen oxides released into the air.
The 2014 U.K. National Review of Asthma Deaths found asthma to be the cause of death in 195 cases from that year, and identified "potentially preventable factors" in two-thirds of the cases studied.
Kissi-Debrah spoke to The Current's Anna Maria Tremonti about the new measures, and her own fight to honour her daughter. Here is part of their conversation.
Can you tell me about Ella and when her health problems began?
Ella's health problems started in October 2010. She was six years and 10 months. Up until that point she was an extremely healthy and lively child. She was into sports, dance, all sorts of things. There was never — no chance that we would ever have thought she would have died prematurely and suffered so horrendously.
What were her health complications?
She continued to have a cough. It sounded more like a smoker's cough but she was almost seven at that time.
The pathologist said it was one of the worst cases of asthma ever recorded in the U.K. Her lungs kept on shutting down with mucus all the time. They kept re-inflating, shutting down and she was constantly choking and constantly fighting to breathe.
And when she died, what was it?
It was asthma. But we have since found out that where we lived, the whole area, the levels of air pollution were illegal and throughout all her life she was breathing in toxic air.
So what is the area like where you live? What's happening around there to do that to the air quality?
We have an extremely busy road where not just cars but lots of lorries drive through. This is the issue.... They start in the early hours of the morning, and even sometimes at midnight, you can hear the lorries driving through.
My daughter isn't the only one affected. Last year, this borough had the second-highest hospital admissions for children with asthma. So it continues. And that's why the mayor, Sadiq Khan, has literally had no choice, he has had to introduce it. Because something has to be done.
There was an inquest into Ella's death. What did it say?
The thing which killed her was asthma but it also, at that time, recognized that her triggers were due to something in the air and we have spent the last five years finding out what those triggers were, and we now have a leading expert who puts all the information together and in his opinion, there was a causal link between air pollution and her death.
And you want a second inquest.
Absolutely. Obviously she suffered greatly. So I think it is only right that the real cause of her death should go on her death certificate.
What do you think of the mayor's decision to bring in the new Ultra Low Emissions Zone in London?
It's a start. I don't think he has any choice. He recognises the health impact. It's not going to be everything. We have a lot of cars.
You cannot have one in 10 children in a capital city on medication or fighting to breathe. This isn't what childhood should be about. Children should be happy, children should be playing, not in hospital on nebulizers and things like that. It's unacceptable. I call it a public health crisis.
Click 'listen' near the top of this page to hear the full conversation.
Written by Padraig Moran and Émilie Quesnel. Produced by Alison Masemann, Sarah-Joyce Battersby and Cinar Kiper.