A new report has been released today which shows that air quality in Ireland was good throughout the country and compiled with all the air quality standards in force across Europe for all pollutants.

The 'EPA report Air Quality in Ireland 2006 - Key Indicators of Ambient Air Quality', released results were based on monitoring data from 24 stations, producing hourly or daily data as required by the EU Directives on Air Quality.

Dr Ciaran O'Donnell, EPA Programme Manager said: "What our results for 2006 show is that attaining good air quality depends on reducing local emissions. Traffic and non-smokeless fuel are the two main causes of poor air quality in Ireland. Increasingly, poor air quality is associated with smaller towns. The EPA is encouraging the public to consider the environment in their choice of domestic fuels."

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The main pollutants recorded in 2006 were nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter (PM10). Nitrogen dioxide levels were highest in urban areas, mainly due to traffic density. Particulates were also high in cities, again mainly due to traffic density. However, the highest level of particulates were found in smaller towns with the use of non-smokeless fuel being the most likely cause.

Levels of ground-level ozone, which is harmful to health, were higher in 2006 than usual. Ozone is formed from the reaction of certain pollutants with sunlight in hot weather. An episode of particularly high ozone in July was caused by a combination of hot, sunny weather and transported of polluted air masses from mainland Europe.

The 'Air Quality in Ireland 2006 - Key Indicators of Ambient Air Quality' report, available in both English and Irish, can be accessed on the EPA website at: www.epa.ie/downloads/pubs/air/quality/.

(JM)