Air Quality

Clean air is essential for our quality of life.  While recent decades have seen significant improvements in air quality in Ireland, air pollution continues to cause damage to both our health and environment. The EPA’s annual ‘Air Quality in Ireland’ reports consistently state that Ireland’s air quality is generally good, but that some localised areas of concern remain. These arise mainly from residential and transport emissions.

In addition, the European Environment Agency states that air pollution is linked to approx. 1,400 premature deaths in Ireland each year. This is up to ten times the number of people who die on our roads. These deaths arise from health conditions which are linked to air pollution, such as heart disease, stroke, lung cancer, and both chronic and acute respiratory diseases.

A range of air quality legislation is therefore in place in Ireland to protect our air quality and safeguard the health of all.