PA Media
Tue 17 Dec 2019 13.56 GMTElla Kissi-Debrah, nine, who lived near South Circular Road in south London, died in 2013
An inquest in 2014 concluded Ella Kissi-Debrah’s cause of death was acute respiratory failure as a result of a severe asthma attack. Photograph: Ella Roberta Family Foundation
A fresh inquest into the death of a nine-year-old girl who suffered a fatal asthma attack will examine the role of the government as it looks at whether air pollution caused or contributed to her death.
Ella Kissi-Debrah died in February 2013 after three years of seizures and 27 visits to hospital for breathing problems.
An inquest in 2014, which focused on Ella’s medical care and ruled she died of “acute respiratory failure”, was quashed by high court judges in light of new evidence regarding air pollution levels.
A provisional ruling was made at Southwark coroners court for it to be a “full” inquest under article 2 – the right to life – of the Human Rights Act, which scrutinises the role of public bodies in a person’s death.
Assistant coroner Philip Barlow told the court “it seems to me that article 2 is engaged,” but said it was subject to any further submissions he received from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Department for Transport.
Transport for London and the London mayor’s office are also interested parties in the proceedings.
Barlow told the court on Tuesday: “It does seem to me that the scope of the investigation needs to move on to look at the pollution issue.”

Inquest to determine if London air pollution caused child’s death | The Guardian
PA Media Tue 17 Dec 2019 13.56 GMT Ella Kissi-Debrah, nine, who lived near South Circular Road in south London, died in 2013 An inquest in 2014 concluded Ella Kissi-Debrah’s cause of death was acute respiratory failure as a result of a severe asthma attack. Photograph: Ella Roberta Family Foundation A fresh inquest into the… [Read More]