Poor air quality can be linked to an estimated 1,300 deaths annually in Ireland, according to recent research.
The Environmental Protection Agency have released their annual report on air quality in Ireland, which found that some parts of Ireland do not match the World Health Organisation’s guidelines on air pollutants. Traffic was noted as having a detrimental effect on the health of people residing in towns and cities.
Pat Byrne, the EPA’s programme manager, spoke to RTE about the report’s findings and the potential impact the fuel crisis could have on air quality in Ireland. He also asked people to consider changing their energy consumption as a direct response to the report’s findings on health.
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He said on Morning Ireland: “We’re very conscious that more people will be turning to solid fuel this winter. If people have alternatives, we ask that they burn cleaner fuels. If they can use oil or gas, that’s better again. There hasn’t been a significant change in people’s habits in recent years and we’ve increased our monitoring stations as a result.”
The burning of solid fuel, which releases pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide and ozone, is a leading cause of air pollution in Ireland. It can be a contributing factor towards several illnesses, such as cancer, heart disease and lung failure. Research suggests a third of deaths associated with these conditions occur because of air pollution.
Dublin was one of the poorest performing areas mentioned in the report. Previous air monitoring found that the suburbs of Ranelagh and Rathmines had air pollution 15 times higher than recommended WHO and European guidelines for health.
However, the EPA plans to introduce a 3 day air forecast in 2023 to better combat the detrimental impact air pollution can have on health. It is currently in partnership with local authorities to establish more monitoring networks nationwide, with 97 operating by the end of this year.
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