The latest annual report from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on air quality finds that our air is generally good. But some of the results were surprising, even alarming. Indeed, the EPA itself was surprised to discover that the highest levels of airborne microscopic dust particles, known as PM10, were recorded in rural towns and villages. And the most likely cause was the continued burning in these areas of smoky fuel for home heating - even though the environmental health consequences may be quite severe; PM10 can penetrate deep into the respiratory tract, causing cardio- pulmonary disorders.
The sale and distribution of bituminous coal has been banned in Dublin since 1990, a courageous move for which Mary Harney, then minister of state for environmental protection, will always be credited. The ban was extended to Cork in 1995; Limerick, Arklow, Drogheda, Dundalk and Wexford in 1998; Galway, Waterford, Celbridge, Leixlip and Naas in 2000, and Bray, Kilkenny, Sligo and Tralee in 2003. On foot of the EPA report and in the interests of cleaner air and public health, Minister for the Environment John Gormley should now seriously consider extending the ban to all urban areas not already covered by it.
Air pollution caused by increasing volumes of traffic is the other major threat. At the end of last year there were 2.3 million vehicles on our roads, nearly double the number recorded a decade earlier. Cars, vans and trucks all pollute the air with noxious emissions, including carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, benzene and PM10. The EPA found the highest levels of nitrogen dioxide in Dublin's Winetavern Street - ironically, right beside the Civic Offices - and described the concentration of 35 microgrammes per cubic metre as "potentially of concern". Given that this figure is very close to the EU limit of 40 microgrammes per cubic metre, it surely is.
And the culprit in this case is excessive levels of traffic, caused by the continuing rise in car usage, even in a city that has relatively good public transport. Other urban areas are worse off, with equally car-dominated environments. This must also be addressed.
Neither can a pollutant such as nitrogen dioxide be dismissed as being of no consequence; it is associated with impaired lung function and can result in chest infections, particularly among children and elderly people. If its levels in Dublin's air rise further, not only could this result in a failure to meet EU limits - it would also pose a real threat to public health.
Ground-level ozone, another harmful pollutant, was also found in concentrations which breached EU thresholds in such unlikely places as Valentia Island, off the Kerry coast. It is evident, therefore, that there is no room for complacency in dealing with these threats to the quality of the air we breathe - least of all by a minister who leads the Green Party.