Mother of first child to die of air pollution speaks as London emission rules change
Ella Roberta died in 2013 with air pollution as a listed cause
The mother of a child who died due to air pollution has spoke to heat radio following the extension of London's Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ), which is enforced from today.
Ella Roberta became the first person to officially have air pollution registered as their cause of death in the UK, following an inquest to her death in 2013.
The nine year old lived near South Circular Road in London and suffered from a rare and life threatening case of asthma.
Ella Roberta's mother, Rosamund, told heat radio: "Whenever there was a spike in air pollution, that's when she was going into hospital, we didn't know at the time that's what was making it worse, so she had loads of attacks.
"I just worried constantly, constantly, and I think when she went into ICU, all you can do is pray."
Ella had been hospitalized dozens of times for severe asthma attacks, and her condition disabled her from an early age.
Rosamund co-founded The Ella Roberta Family Foundation to help other children suffering from asthma that live in South East London, as well as enhancing research and education on asthma.
Currently in London there are record high levels of air pollution but 872 schools are in areas which breach the EU recommended levels.
Asthma in London continues to increase, in a class of 30 at least 3 children will have a diagnosis of asthma, and in the UK a child is admitted to hospital every 20 minutes because of an asthma attack.
Ella lived near the South Circular Road in London, an area that the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) is expanding to.
What is being changed?
From today (25th October), the existing Ultra Low Emission Zone will expand to create a larger district comprising of the area within the North and South Circular roads.
The new changes mean that cars, motorcycles, specialist vehicles, and minibuses will either need to meet the ULEZ emission standards or pay a ÂŁ12.50 daily charge when driving within the expanded zone.
It is all part of Mayor of London Sadiq Khan's plan to clean up London's air.
The mayor's transport strategy is to try to achieve 80% of trips across London through walking, cycling and mass transport by 2040.
The original ULEZ in central London saw the number of cleaner vehicles increase from 39% in 2017 to 80%.
It seems this type of emission-based system is here to stay, as many other cities in the UK are planning similar emissions zones.