Ella Kissi-Debrah died at the age of nine in 2013 from severe asthma. She grew up in the London Borough of Lewisham and lived close to the South Circular. This week she would have turned 18.
Her mother Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah campaigned to ensure that she was the first person in the UK and possibly the world to have air pollution listed as the cause, on her death certificate.
Evidence shows that toxic air pollution can significantly reduce lung capacity in children, by as much as 5 per cent. Analysis from before the COVID -19 pandemic in 2019 showed that children in London are four times more likely to attend schools in areas with high pollution levels than the rest of England.
Tomorrow, in the first of two meetings on air pollution, the Environment Committee will discuss the impact of air pollution in London, particularly on children and assess the Mayor’s current and future plans for tackling it.
Air pollution caused by domestic combustion, like wood-burning stoves and waste incineration will also be discussed.
The guests are:
- Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah, BreatheLife Ambassador and Founder of the Ella Roberta Family Foundation
- Elliot Treharne, Head of Air Quality, Greater London Authority
- Dr Ben Barratt, Faculty of Medicine, School of Public Health, Imperial College London
- Jemima Hartshorn, Founder, Mums for Lungs
The meeting will take place on Thursday, 27 January 2022 from 10am in G02/G03/G04, London Fire Brigade Headquarters (169 Union Street SE1 0LL).
Media and members of the public are invited to attend.
The meeting can also be viewed LIVE or later via webcast or YouTube
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Notes to editors
- Read the agenda papers
- Zack Polanski AM, Chair of the Environment Committee, is available for interview.
- Find out more about the London Assembly Environment Committee.
- As well as investigating issues that matter to Londoners, the London Assembly acts as a check and a balance on the Mayor.
For media enquiries, please contact Lisa Lam on 07795 616 902. For out of hours media enquiries, call 020 7983 4000 and ask for the London Assembly duty press officer.