Contact: Sasha Tenenbaum, [email protected], 917-887-0146
(Washington, DC) – Today, an inquest into the 2013 death of 9-year-old Ella Kissi-Debrah determined that air pollution caused her death, marking the first time that air pollution was officially recognized as a killer on a UK death certificate. Ella had asthma and was exposed to dangerous air pollution levels in her London neighborhood. Ella’s mother, Rosamund Kissi-Debrah, has spent years fighting for this official recognition.
In response, Molly Rauch, Public Health Policy Director for Moms Clean Air Force, issued the following statement:
“No parent should be faced with the devastating possibility that the air their child is breathing is deadly. Yet that is what Rosamund has faced, and her courage in fighting against this injustice is an inspiration to moms around the world. The coroner’s decision to list air pollution as a cause of her daughter Ella’s death sheds light on the deadly consequences of air pollution from cars, trucks, power plants, factories, and more — and on the urgent need for government to guarantee every child’s right to breathe clean air. Thanks to Rosamund, lawmakers now have the duty, and opportunity, to create a safer, more stable, and more equitable future for all children.”