Case Proven: We really do need to tackle air pollution
Last month I wrote about the case of Ella Kissi-Debrah and the fact that a South London coroner's court was holding an inquest into the death of the nine-year-old. As a reminder this was a potential landmark legal case, a coroner was being asked to rule that air pollution caused the death from an acute asthma attack. This finding would make legal history. It has never been identified as a cause of death before in the UK and this is thought to be the first case of its kind in the world. Lewisham Council, the mayor of London and government gave evidence about their knowledge of the levels of toxic air around where Ella lived, the health impacts and what was being done to reduce the pollution. Prior to the inquest It had been decided that article 2 - the right to life - of the Human Rights Act, which scrutinises the role of public bodies in a person's death, apply to the hearing.
