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The mother of a nine-year-old British girl who died after a severe asthma attack called for a public health campaign warning of the dangers of air pollution, after a coroner ruled it contributed to her death.
In a legal first, coroner Philip Barlow on Thursday said poor air quality from vehicle emissions made a material contribution to the 2013 death of Ella Adoo-Kissi-Debrah, who lived near a busy road.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan called the ruling a landmark moment and called air pollution a public health crisis , while campaigners said it should now lead to an overhaul in policy.
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Now researchers are exploring whether increased physical activity could help reduce alcohol and drug misuse long after social restrictions have lifted.
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“Ella died of asthma contributed to by exposure to excessive air pollution,” said the coroner on Wednesday.
He said that during Ella’s life, nitrogen dioxide emissions in Lewisham, where she lived, exceeded legal limits, both EU and national levels. Particulate matter levels were above the WHO guidelines, he said.
“The whole of Ella’s life was lived in close proximity to highly polluting roads. I have no difficulty in concluding that her personal exposure to nitrogen dioxide and PM was very high.”
The coroner said the health effects of air pollution had been known for many years, and children and those with asthma were particularly at risk.
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Air pollution has been listed as a contributing factor in the death of a nine-year-old British girl in 2013.
After a two-week inquest, coroner Philip Barlow determined that Ella Kissi-Debrah of South London died of acute respiratory failure, severe asthma and exposure to air pollution.
It is the first time that air pollution has been listed as a contributing cause of death in Britain, the BBC reported.
Kissi-Debrah had been very sick for a long time and was more susceptible to air pollution.
According to the BBC, Stephen Holgate, professor of immunopharmacology at the University of Southampton, told Southwark Coroner s Court that Kissi-Debrah had an “exceptionally rare” health problem that put her at “exquisite” risk.