Environment Minister Mark H Durkan has launched a new text message service, Air Aware, which will inform subscribers of high air pollution episodes.

The alert service is primarily aimed at people who have existing chronic health conditions, such as asthma or heart disease, so that they can choose whether or not they may wish to,for example, limit their time outdoors or avoid strenuous outdoor exercise.

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Minister Durkan said: "With the launch of the Air Aware service, we are going further to ensure that the people who need air quality information the most receive it. For instance, those with chronic health conditions such as heart disease or asthma may find it beneficial to know if air quality is poor, so that they can then choose whether they need to adjust their daily routine when air pollution levels are high.

"My Department currently issues alerts to local media to inform the public of high air pollution events. There were five such alerts this year between January and April. These events usually happen in the winter when cold, calm weather conditions trap pollutants at ground level and there is a high level of households burning solid fuel."

(CD/IT)