Why breathing clean air is political

I tend to believe that all behaviour is political – whether we are communicating, persuading, raising awareness, complaining or even absenting. However, the idea that behaviour we would usually class as automatic is also subject to political forces, may come as a surprise to most of us.

Sadly, the reality is one highlighted by the tragic death of Ella Roberta Adoo-Kissi-Debrah in February 2013 a few weeks after her ninth birthday. Publicity about her heart-rendering case following an asthma attack – two years after diagnosis – was underlined by coroner Philip Barlow, listing air pollution as a cause of death on her death certificate and stating Ella had been exposed to excessive levels of pollution before she died.

Specifically, he pointed to nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter pollution occurring above World Health Organization guidelines, with traffic emissions the principal source. It is estimated that in London alone between eight and 12 children with asthma who are exposed to high pollution levels are dying each year – this figure for the UK is likely to be as high as 24 annually.

Ella's Mum, Rosamund, has campaigned tirelessly through the foundation she established in her daughter's name, to raise awareness of the harm pollution is causing to human health. I had the opportunity recently to interview Rosamund for the May 2024 special issue of The Psychologist. 

Over a decade on from Ella's death, Rosamund has been petitioning for signatures and continues to campaign for the UK Parliament to introduce the Clean Air (Human Rights) Bill, or 'Ella's law', to ensure 'no child in this country will die from asthma'.

She launched a high court action via the estate of her late daughter, which was settled last autumn, with the role of the government clearly held to account. Subsequently, Rosamund met Emma Hardy, a minister in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), telling her: "So much more needs to be urgently done to improve our air quality and I stand ready to assist the government to tackle what has become a public health crisis".

What the research indicates

With emerging research indicating links between pollution, residential address and experiences of poor mental health in London (Newbury et al, 2021), there are concerns for both physical and psychological wellbeing. 

A rare longitudinal study between 2011-2019 in Rome (Nobile et al, 2023) has found that 'air pollutants were significantly associated with increased risks of schizophrenia, depression and anxiety disorders'. The need for a full research agenda exploring the links between pollution and psychological wellbeing is clear (Bhui et al, 2023). 

Following the successful court action in Ella's name, the government has issued a statement assuring, "We are committed to delivering a comprehensive and ambitious Clean Air Strategy, including a series of interventions to reduce emissions so that everyone's exposure to air pollution is reduced." 

In other words, a right about which we may not have realised we needed guarantees remains a work in progress and without positive action to safeguard it, we all lose out. There are different ways to take our own steps, whether considering our own use of vehicles – such as remembering to stop idling car and van engines while stationary – or making more environmentally friendly choices for travel or writing directly to our MPs in support of 'Ella's Law'.

References

Bhui, K. Newbury, J.B., Latham, R.M., Ucci, M., Nasir, Z.A., Turner, B., O'Leary, C., Fisher, H.L., Marczylo, E., Douglas, P., Stansfeld, S., Jackson, S.K., Tyrrel, S., Rzhetsky, A., Kinnersley, R., Kumar, P., Duchaine, C., Coulon F. (2023). 'Air quality and mental health: evidence, challenges and future directions'. BJPsych Open. July 5;9(4):e120. doi: 10.1192/bjo.2023.507.

Newbury J.B. et al, (2021), 'Association between air pollution exposure and mental health service use among individuals with first presentations of psychotic and mood disorders: retrospective cohort study', The British Journal of Psychiatry, 219(6):678-685.

Nobile, F., Forastiere, A., Michelozzi, P., Forastiere, F. and Stafoggia, M. (2023). 'Long-term exposure to air pollution and incidence of mental disorders: A large longitudinal cohort study of adults within an urban area'. Environment International, Volume 181,

About the author

Ashley Weinberg is a senior lecturer at the University of Salford and the founding chair of the BPS's Political Psychology Section.