Around 1,300 people die prematurely here each year because of poor air quality.
The Environmental Protection Agency’s annual air quality report has found that while air quality is generally good here, there are localised issues of concern.
Air quality in Letterkenny was found to be good. However, large spikes of SO2 were observed during the winter heating season in the town in 2020 which the EPA says requires further investigation.
While Ireland did meet EU air quality targets last year, it didn’t meet World Health Organization guidelines for a number of pollutants.
Senior Scientific Officer with the EPA Patrick Kenny says too many early deaths are caused by fine particulate matter in solid fuels:
The full report can be viewed here
