• In London, did air pollution kill this nine-year-old girl?

  • In London: pollution, in court

British justice has recognized for the first time that pollution kills.

Judge Philip Barlow has set a world precedent by concluding that polluted air was the cause of death for a nine-year-old girl in London, Ella Kissi-Debrah, who died in February 2013 of "acute respiratory failure" (after having suffered up to 27 asthma attacks in a few months).

"

We are facing a historical news that can cause a positive shake in the whole world

and make us open our eyes to that invisible murderer who claims more than seven million lives prematurely each year," María Neira, head of the Department, told this newspaper. of Public Health and Environment of the World Health Organization (WHO), which joined the case with its devastating reports on the effects of pollution.

"This research is not only going to establish jurisprudence, but it is a victory for millions of children and adults who do not have a choice and are exposed to dirty air in cities," adds Dr. Neira.

"I hope that from now on there will be real political action, that air quality standards will be enforced and that governments will be held accountable. They will no longer be able to say that they did not know."

"Ella Kissi-Debrah died of asthma caused by her excessive exposure to pollution," certified British judge Philip Barlow.

"His whole life was spent in the vicinity of highly polluted roads. I have no difficulty in concluding that his personal exposure to nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter was very high."

Seven years in court

Ella's mother, Rosamund Adoo Kissi-Debrah, celebrated the conclusion of the judicial investigation with tears in her eyes and with a renewed determination: "Justice has been done after seven years of struggle.

The contamination will finally be recorded as the cause of my daughter's death on her death certificate. "

Rosamund has created a foundation named Ella in defense of the rights of children with asthma, and has set out to turn her personal crusade into a campaign with global resonance.

His cause is supported by ClientEarth, the organization that once took the British Government to court for its repeated failure to comply with the maximum levels of contamination recommended by the WHO and the European Union.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who also contracted asthma as a child while living south of the Thames, hailed the court's conclusion as

"a historic moment to acknowledge contamination with a public health crisis."

Khan stressed his political commitment to extending the ultra-low emission zone to the entire perimeter of London, and criticized in passing the work of his predecessor in the British capital (Boris Johnson) and the delay of the Government to undertake drastic measures throughout the country.

She lived 25 meters from Lewisham's South Circular Road in southeast London, one of the most traffic-congested spots in the British capital.

In the three years prior to his death, the sensors at the Catford station "consistently" exceeded the EU maximum limits for nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter.

The report by Dr Stephen Hogate (one of the UK's top air quality specialists) was singled out as the main piece of evidence during the investigation, which involved more than fifty experts and witnesses.

Air pollution is estimated to contribute to the premature death of at least 40,000 people a year in the British Isles, some 9,600 of them in London.

According to the World Health Organization, poor air quality in cities can contribute to 4.2 million deaths worldwide (plus 3.8 million deaths caused by indoor pollution from exposure to dirty fuels in cities). kitchens in developing countries).

Pollution, the new tobacco

Dr. María Neira expressed her hope that there will be a before and after in Ella's case, with new lawsuits, political actions and greater awareness among the population.

"With tobacco it took us 50 years to overcome resistance. With pollution, which is the new tobacco, we also have the factor that we cannot choose: we are all forced to breathe dirty air.

We are facing a problem that goes beyond of environmental struggles; it is above all a public health problem. "

Dr. Neira emphasizes the relationship between high levels of pollution and cases of coronavirus in large cities: "Poor air quality makes our lungs more vulnerable and more exposed to infectious diseases."

Finally, the head of Public Health and Environment of the WHO recalls the link that exists with this other great invisible problem: "Pollution and climate change converge in 75% of the factors. By mitigating one type of emissions we are contributing at the same time reducing pollution, improving air quality and preventing millions of deaths. Climate change is also a public health problem. "

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