Traffic fumes and chimney smoke continue to pollute Ireland’s air despite moves towards cleaner motoring and heating.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said the number of premature deaths attributed to poor air quality also remained high, at 1,700 per year.
The agency said while monitoring at 115 sites showed all met legal air quality standards last year, there were places and times when those standards were close to being breached.
It also warned that current air quality levels were not good enough to comply with more stringent standards that will apply from 2030.
RM Block
A quarter of monitoring sites would fail the 2030 standards on levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), a gas emitted from petrol and diesel vehicles that builds up in high concentrations in urban centres.
Around 7 per cent of sites would fail on particulate matter (PM2.5), tiny particles of soot, dust and dirt that mainly come from burning solid fuels.
PM2.5 is also prevalent in cities and towns but so too are rural areas not connected to the gas network.
Both pollutants lodge in the lungs, causing problems from mild irritation to chronic and acute lung disease.
Air pollution also contributes to heart conditions, dementia, neonatal mortality and type 2 diabetes.
Vulnerable groups, including children and older adults, and those with underlying conditions such as asthma, are particularly at risk.
The EPA said a decisive shift away from solid fuel heating and fossil fuel transport was needed.
“Many of us have grown up with the comfort of an open fire and limited alternatives to travelling by car – but these familiar habits contribute to poor air quality,” said Pat Byrne, the EPA’s director of environmental monitoring.
“Supporting people to shift towards cleaner heating and more sustainable travel isn’t about giving something up – it’s about gaining healthier air and healthier lives.”
