Tougher air pollution limits needed to prevent more deaths, says coroner Case of nine-year-old who died as a result of traffic emissions shows that UK law is not stringent enough to save lives 21 April 2021 • 2:30pm Ella Adoo-Kissi-Debrah, seen in an image on her mother's phone. She died in 2013, partly as a result of car emissions. Credit: HOLLIE ADAMS /AFP The Government must set tougher legally-binding air pollution targets after a nine-year-old's death, a coroner has said. Air pollution is a "major issue of public health concern" and there is a "very clear need for action to be taken" to tackle it, said Philip Barlow, Assistant Coroner for South London, in a report sent today to several government departments and the Mayor of London.