Date released: September 22, 2024
23rd September 2024: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has today published its annual air quality report Air Quality in Ireland 2023. The report is based on the extensive monitoring network in Ireland, which consists of 115 monitoring stations, reporting hourly, and is a leader across Europe in providing a 3-day air quality forecast. The report shows that Ireland has work to do to meet our Clean Air Strategy targets. In particular, there are concerning localised issues which lead to poor air quality. While the overall level of air pollution has reduced over recent decades, our understanding of the level at which air pollutants impact health has also been deepened by the World Health Organization (WHO), which now advises that there are no safe levels of air pollution.
Ireland met the current EU legal air quality limits in 2023, but monitoring results were higher than the more stringent health-based World Health Organization air quality guidelines for a number of pollutants including: particulate matter (PM), nitrogen dioxide (N02), sulphur dioxide (SO2) and ozone (O3). The main sources of these pollutants are the burning of solid fuel in our towns and villages and traffic in our cities. In our Clean Air Strategy Ireland has committed to achieving the WHO guideline values by 2040, with interim targets for 2026 and 2030. Despite comparing favourably with many of our European neighbours, Ireland’s 2023 monitoring results would exceed the soon-approaching 2026 targets.
In 2023 air monitoring results from EPA stations across Ireland show that fine particulate matter (PM2.5), mainly from burning solid fuel in our homes, and nitrogen dioxide (NO2), chiefly from road traffic, continue to be the main threats to good air quality. High levels of these pollutants are often associated with cold, still weather from late autumn through to early spring, when generally incidents of poor air quality of one to two days duration occur. The report identifies that using less solid fuel and cleaner fuels to heat our homes, making our homes more energy efficient and reducing our use of cars to go to school, work and play are actions that will contribute towards achieving our Clean Air targets. Local authorities can facilitate people to make cleaner and healthier air quality choices by acting on the Solid Fuel Regulations and supporting alternatives to car travel.
Launching the report, Dr Micheál Lehane, Director of the EPA’s Office of Radiation Protection & Environmental Monitoring, said:
“Ireland now has a world class air quality monitoring network so the evidence base is strong in showing us that air pollution is not just a city phenomenon, there are negative impacts in towns and villages right across the country. If we want to achieve our ambition of Clean Air for everyone, everywhere, all year round, then we need to address the emissions from residential heating and invest in transport systems right across the country.”
The report further identifies the critical role for local authorities to facilitate people to make cleaner and healthier air quality choices:
Roni Hawe, EPA Programme Manager, said:
“Progress on residential retrofit programmes will help to reduce fine particulate matter pollution but vigilance is also needed to ensure that only compliant solid fuel, such as low smoke coal and dried wood, is being sold to householders. In 2022 Ireland introduced new laws to reduce the pollutant potential of solid fuels. We need to see a strong inspection campaign by local authorities this winter to make sure all retailers only stock and sell approved solid fuel.”
To find out more about how we can improve air quality read the EPA’s How we can improve the air we breathe infographic or check out the Government of Ireland Let’s Clear the Air campaign which highlights some simple steps we can all make and help reduce pollution from solid fuels.
The Air Quality in Ireland 2023 report is available on the EPA website.
The EPA continually monitors air quality across Ireland and provides the air quality index for health and real-time results online. Results are updated hourly on the website, and people can log on at any time to check whether the current air quality is good, fair or poor.
Further information: Emily Williamson, EPA Media Relations Office: 053-91 70770 (24 hours) and media@epa.ie
Notes to Editor
Ambient air pollution: Ambient (outdoor) air pollution is recognised as a major environmental risk to health internationally. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), ambient air pollution accounts for an estimated 4 million deaths per year worldwide due to stroke, heart disease, lung cancer and chronic respiratory diseases, such as asthma. In children and adults, both short-term and long-term exposure to ambient air pollution can lead to reduced lung function, respiratory infections and aggravated asthma. Read more on the WHO website.
The European Environment Agency (EEA) has estimated that there are approximately 1,600 premature deaths annually in Ireland due to poor air quality from fine particulate matter (PM2.5). See Europe's Air Quality Status 2023
National Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Programme: The EPA, working with local authorities and other public bodies, has established 115 air monitoring stations. Monitoring data from these stations is available in real time on the website and the data is used to inform national policy and meet Ireland’s commitments to European reporting.
New developments
LIFE Emerald a four-year, EU – Irish government funded forecasting and modelling project was completed in 2024. It provides models with daily forecasts, hourly updated and annual high-resolution maps for Ireland to enable the public to make more informed health related decisions on a daily basis. The models fills in gaps between monitoring stations. Find out more on the website.
The EPA is also supporting citizen science projects such as the GLOBE project and Clean Air Together (CAT). This is done to create a better understanding of NO2 air pollution. The first measurement campaign took place in 2021 with 1,000 citizens across Dublin participating. After successful campaigns in Dublin and then Cork in 2022, Clean Air Together moved to Galway for 2023.
See Clean Air Together (CAT) Galway 2023. CAT will be in Limerick in 2024 with the measurement phase beginning in October.
New EU Legislation
The EU has proposed a new Cleaner Air for Europe Directive which will lower limit values for key health impacting pollutants. This is closely aligned with WHO guideline values. Achieving these targets will be very challenging for Ireland.
Figure 1 National Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Network in 2023
Table 1 Selected pollutants measured in 2023 and their adherence to EU legal limit values and WHO air quality guideline levels
Ireland’s Clean Air Strategy
The Government of Ireland website sets out information on Ireland’s Clean Air Strategy and provides information the Solid Fuel Regulations for householders, producers and retailers.
Solid Fuel Regulations
More information on the Solid Fuels Register can found on the EPA website.
