Overall, towns and villages without a smoky coal ban have, on average, 20 per cent higher concentrations of microscopic particles than those with a ban. Earlier this year, Minister for the Environment Richard Bruton announced a delay to the long-awaited ban on bituminous – or “smoky” – coal. Smoky coal was banned in Dublin in 1990, with larger towns and villages around the country following suit in the years that followed. When compared to all towns with a smoky coal ban, average levels are 14 per cent higher. Enniscorthy has the highest average levels for this matter and, again, towns without smoky coal bans fare worse than the largest cities.

Source: The Irish Times June 11, 2019 00:00 UTC