How Toxic Is the Air You Breathe?

How Toxic Is the Air You Breathe?

From Science Vs by Spotify Studios

May 28, 2026 · 41 min

About this episode

This episode explores the implications of air pollution through the story of Ella Kissi-Debrah and her mother's fight for accountability.

The Trump administration is rolling back restrictions on air pollution in the U.S., and some experts say this could affect the health of millions of people. And what makes air pollution especially dangerous is that we often can’t see it at all. So today, we’re going back to the story of Ella Kissi-Debrah, a little girl who suddenly got sick and landed in the hospital. In this episode, her mom, Rosamund, takes on the fight to find out what exactly happened to Ella. And the answer has BIG implications — for us all. We’ll hear from Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah and Professor Stephen Holgate. Find our transcript here: https://tinyurl.com/ScienceVsAirPollution In this episode, we cover: (00:00) Ella’s story (13:02) The campaign and investigation (21:01) Why air pollution is so dangerous (25:39) Accountability and change This episode was produced by Ekedi Fausther-Keeys with help from Rose Rimler, Wendy Zukerman, Michelle Dang, Meryl Horn, and Courtney Gilbert. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell. Wendy Zukerman is the Executive Producer. Extra help by Saidu Tejan-Thomas, Nicole Beemsterboer, Kendra Pierre-Louis, and Alex Blumberg. Fact checking by Erica Akiko Howard. Mix and sound design by…

People in this episode

Host: Wendy Zukerman

Guests: Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah, Professor Stephen Holgate

Topics covered

  • air pollution
  • health
  • environment
  • advocacy
  • investigation
  • accountability

Keywords

  • air quality
  • pollution
  • Ella Kissi-Debrah
  • health risks
  • environmental policy
  • advocacy
  • investigation

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Trump administration, Spotify Studios

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