Calls to double down on smoky fuel ban as air pollution persists in towns and villages

It is also urging faster provision of public transport and cycle lanes to give more people an alternative to car driving so that exhaust fumes will be reduced.

The agency says around 1,600 early deaths in Ireland each year are linked to people breathing poor-quality air.

At current levels of pollution, the country is complying with existing air quality standards, but will not meet stricter new standards taking effect in 2026.

Further improvements will be needed under even tighter regulations taking effect in 2040 and the EPA said achieving those standards "will be very challenging".

The agency measures air quality though 115 monitoring stations around the country that take hourly readings of a range of pollutants.

Of chief concern are particulate matter (PM), which are microscopic ps of dirt suspended in the air, and the gases nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulphur dioxide (SO2) and ozone (O3). The main sources of these pollutants are the burning of coal, peat and wood for heating in towns and villages, and traffic in cities and other congested areas.

As well as causing temporary respiratory irritation, these pollutants can also cause serious lung and heart problems.

They also exacerbate existing conditions, particularly in people with asthma, and have been linked to cognitive impairment in children and dementia in older people.

For all those reasons, the Government introduced a wide-ranging smoky fuels ban in 2022 and adopted a Clean Air Strategy last year to tackle all causes of air pollution, but the evidence suggests the ban is being flouted.

"The report shows that Ireland has work to do to meet our Clean Air Strategy targets," the EPA said.

"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.

"The World Health Organisation (WHO) now advises that there are no safe levels of air pollution."

Dr Micheál Lehane of the EPA's Office of Environmental Monitoring, said the EPA was gathering more air quality data than ever before and the message from it was clear.

"It is showing us that air pollution is not just a city phenomenon – there are negative impacts in towns and villages right across the country."

Roni Hawe, EPA scientist, said greater effort was needed to reduce exhaust fumes and tackle pollution from home heating.

"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 smoky coal and dried wood, is being sold to householders," she said.

"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."