Air quality in Letterkenny town centre today is ‘poor’ according to the new Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) forecast which was launched today.
It provides two updated scores daily, forecasts about how healthy the air is for breathing and the level of key pollutants in each block. The only other air quality monitor in Donegal is at Malin Head and it gives a ‘good’ recording for today.
Air pollution, which includes tiny particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide and ozone, is a killer.
Some of these pollutants can pass through our lungs, get into people’s blood streams and over time cause significant damage to multiple organs.
The World Health Organization said air pollution causes four million premature deaths from stroke, heart disease, lung cancer, chronic respiratory diseases and asthma every year.
According to the EU, about 1,300 of those premature deaths take place in Ireland each year.
This new EPA national air quality forecast service will help people in Ireland to manage those risks.
Every morning and every evening a highly detailed map of the country will be updated on the webpage air quality.ie with key pollution data.
This includes three-day forecasts, for today, tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, for the air quality index for health, particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide and ozone for every 9sq/km block of land in the country.
The Asthma Society of Ireland (ASI) said the new service will be an important resource for everyone with respiratory conditions.
The CEO of the ASI, Eilís Ní Chathnía, welcomed the forecast launch.
Ms Chathnía said: “Ireland has the highest incidence rate of asthma in Europe with one in ten children and one in 13 adults developing the condition – with 890,000 people likely to develop asthma in their lifetimes.
“The Asthma Society welcomes the opportunity to be associated with the launch of the forecast.”
The forecast and further information on air quality and the Air Quality Index for Health are available on www.airquality.ie
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