Statue of girl killed by air pollution should be reminder of dangers of toxic air, says mother

A new statue of Ella Adoo-Kissi-Debrah, the first person in the world to officially die from air pollution, will serve as a reminder of the damage toxic air can do, her mother has said.

Ella died following an asthma attack in 2013, at the age of nine, and a coroner subsequently made a landmark ruling that her death had been caused by air pollution.

Built with funds donated by members of the public, the bronze statue was unveiled on Friday (4 April) and stands at 4ft 6in – the same height Ella was when she died.

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“I feel incredibly emotional today. Seeing how small Ella looks up there brings it home how much time has passed since she died. Ella would be 21 now, and if it wasn’t for the illegal levels of air pollution near our home, she would be alive today,” said Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah, Ella’s mum.

“The statue will be a constant reminder of not just her, her spirit and her warmth, but of the need for us all to continue to talk about air pollution and raise awareness about the damage it is doing to people’s health. We cannot see the toxic air we are breathing in everyday, but hopefully this statue will remind us to stop and think, and for decision makers and politicians to do what is right and clean up the air we breathe.”

After growing up near the South Circular road in South London, Ella developed asthma aged six. Over the course of the next two years, repeated seizures meant she was admitted to hospital a total of 27 times.

In 2020, a coroner ruled that air pollution had made a “material contribution” to Ella’s death.

The statue has been two years in the making, and will stand in Lewisham’s Mountsfield Park, near Lewisham Hospital – where Ella spent time before her death.

At an unveiling ceremony, a choir from Ella’s old school performed songs written by Mercury Prize nominee ESKA.

“I hope at some point people are going to get angry, the way we are about dirty water. I just want them to get angry about dirty air,” Rosamund told Big Issue.

“Air pollution is a slow killer. It’s not going to close the economy, but people are going to get ill. I just want people to ask politicians to actually do more.”

But the unveiling of the statue brought back emotions, Rosamund added. “When Ella died, for ages I had this knot in my stomach. When I saw the crane lift it off the floor, out of nowhere that knot came back.”

Since Ella’s death, London has seen the ULEZ low emissions zone introduced, with support from Rosamund. A recent study found its expansion in 2023 had made the capital’s air significantly cleaner.

Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, said: “This statue is a powerful tribute to the life of a much-missed young Londoner and will also help educate people about the dangers of toxic air. Air pollution is not only an environmental crisis but a matter of social justice, which affects us all, from cradle to grave.

“The Ultra Low Emission Zone and our other air quality policies mean Londoners are now all breathing substantially cleaner air than in previous years – but there is still more to do, and I promise to keep taking action as we build a fairer and greener London for everyone.”

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