A site near Heuston Station in Dublin is the first area in Ireland in over a decade where illegal levels of air pollution have been detected.
The monitoring station on St John's Road West was over the European limit for nitrogen dioxide because of high levels of traffic nearby.
It means the Environmental Protection Agency has had to notify the European Commission, something that hasn't happened since 2009.
Unhealthy levels of airborne dust and soot were also found at 33 sites across the country according to the EPA's National Air Quality Report 2019.
It's estimated 1,300 people die early in Ireland every year because of air pollution.
The National Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Programme launched in 2017 and real-time monitoring has nearly trebled in Ireland since. There are currently 84 monitoring stations, 24 of which were installed in 2019. EPA National Air Quality Report 2019: https://t.co/Qa6V8otxGV #air pic.twitter.com/CCDtc0EF69
— EPA Ireland (@EPAIreland) September 25, 2020
The local authorities in Dublin and its suburbs are now legally required to prepare an air quality action
plan to address the high levels of nitrogen dioxide recorded.
The action plan must be produced by the end of next year and will involve examining both the causes and providing solutions in the affected areas.
