When breathing clean air becomes 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 might usually class as automatic could also be subject to political forces, may come as a surprise to many.

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 tragic 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 above World Health Organization guidelines, with traffic emissions the principal source. It is estimated that in London alone between eight and twelve 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 an upcoming special issue of The Psychologist. 

Ten years on from Ella's death, Rosamund is currently petitioning for signatures to table a debate in the UK Parliament that could introduce the Clean Air (Human Rights) Bill, or 'Ella's law', to ensure 'no child in this country will die from asthma'.

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 well-being. More recently, an article in the Guardian reported on how toxic air is affecting mental health in Rome, focusing on a study exploring the link between higher particle pollution and conditions such as anxiety disorders and depression. You can add your voice to the petition.

In other words, a right that we may not have realised needed guarantees is literally up in the air – without action to safeguard it, we all lose out.

References

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

About the author

Ashley Weinberg is a senior lecturer at the University of Salford.

This editorial is taken from the Autumn/Winter 2023 issue of the Political Psychology Bulletin.