Clean air for all - Ella Kissi Debrah

Ella was a young girl who grew up in Southeast London and was described by her mother as a “playful, happy child” with a “lust for life”. She grew up with no health difficulties, until she was diagnosed with asthma at six years old. Ella then struggled with a series of breathing-related health issues, until she sadly suffered a fatal asthma attack just three weeks after her ninth birthday.

Professor Sir Stephen Holgate, a senior consultant respiratory physician at the University of Southampton, reported that the severity of Ella’s asthma and her death could be attributed to the high levels of air pollution in her hometown. Ella’s mother fought a long, hard legal battle, and the courts eventually confirmed that air pollution was a “significant contributory factor” to Ella’s asthma and therefore her death.

This was a landmark ruling, as Ella became the first person in the world to have air pollution listed as a cause of death on her death certificate. Her tragic story highlights the devastating consequences of pollution and demonstrates why we urgently need a sustainable healthcare system, now more than ever.

Ella's mother created a foundation in Ella's name. You can read more about Ella’s story and her legacy here Clean air for all | The Ella Roberta Foundation