‘Enough is sufficient’! Mother of woman killed by air air pollution calls for motion | Politics | News | EUROtoday

The mom of a schoolgirl killed by air air pollution has warned the Government is “not doing enough” to guard kids from filthy air.

Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah’s daughter Ella, 9, suffered a deadly bronchial asthma assault in February 2013 after being uncovered to extreme air air pollution.

Writing within the Express, Rosamund mentioned: “The Government knows air pollution is the biggest environmental threat to health in the UK — yet it’s still not doing enough.

“People living in deprived areas suffer the most, with four times more children dying from air pollution, even though they contribute the least. They are more likely to live on busy roads and inhale fumes from other people’s cars and fireplaces. They are breathing in dirty air caused by others, and they are dying from it.

“Enough is enough. No more children can be allowed to die from a preventable illness like asthma. I call on this Government, Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and Health Secretary Wes Streeting in particular, to put the health of our youngest generations first by clamping down on illegal levels of air pollution and protecting their right to breathe clean air.”

In a landmark coroner’s case in 2020, Ella – who had lived 25m from the busy South Circular Road in Lewisham – turned the primary particular person to have air air pollution listed as a reason for loss of life at an inquest within the UK.

Her mom additionally obtained an apology from ministers in October.

Meanwhile Burning wooden at residence produces extra air pollution than street visitors, in response to analysis launched this month.

The findings, from the University of Birmingham, present 1 / 4 of dangerous particles within the air, often known as PM2.5s, come from home fires whereas visitors is liable for 22%.

Wood-burning stoves have risen in reputation within the UK with an estimated 1.9m houses now having one, in response to the Stove Industry Alliance.

The tiny particles of matter, PM2.5s, have been linked to situations equivalent to coronary heart illness and strokes.

Only 4 fines out of 5,600 complaints have been issued for unlawful burning of wooden in smoke-control areas from September 2023 to August 2024 in England, knowledge has revealed.

Campaigners warned the brand new knowledge, from freedom of knowledge requests submitted by the marketing campaign group Mums for Lungs, exhibits that the legislation round unlawful wooden burning is just not being enforced in England, campaigners mentioned.

Jemima Hartshorn, co-founder of Mums for Lungs, mentioned: “If you open your door on a cold night in any town, city or village you can smell the wood pollution. You wouldn’t want a truck pumping air pollution into your front room, but ironically even modern wood stoves cause six times the fine particle pollution of an HGV.

“We’ve known about the health impacts of wood burning for decades. We need to make sure councils are given the tools and resources to protect children from toxic pollution and not just talk about the risks. The current system is obviously not fit for purpose.”

A spokesman for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs mentioned: “Ella’s death was an avoidable tragedy and Ms Adoo-Kissi-Debrah’s tireless campaign shines a much-needed spotlight on the public health issues surrounding air quality.

“The new Government is committed to cleaning up our air and protecting the public from the harm of pollution. We are developing a comprehensive and ambitious Clean Air Strategy to deliver legally binding targets on improving air quality.”