Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 16 Jun 1998

Vol. 492 No. 4

Written Answers. - Asthma Incidence

John Gormley

Question:

191 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Health and Children if his attention has been drawn to the fact that recent studies in Britain relate the very high incidence of asthma to air pollution specifically caused by car emissions; and his views on whether there is a similar problem here. [14294/98]

Minister for Health and Children (Mr. Cowen)

The most recent comprehensive study on air pollution in the United Kingdom is the Report of the Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants: "The Quantification of the Effects of Air Pollution on Health in the United Kingdom". This report does not relate a high incidence of asthma to air pollution specifically caused by car emissions. While poor air quality, including road transport pollutants, can affect the health of people with respiratory illnesses, asthma is caused by an interplay of genetic and environmental factors. Among the environmental factors is motor vehicle pollution.

Specific measures being taken to reduce vehicle emissions include continued compliance with all EU vehicle emission control directives and support for the developing EU auto oil programme to introduce more stringent vehicle emission controls and improved fuel quality. Measures being taken by the Government as a response to urban traffic increase include the implementation of integrated and environmentally sustainable measures such as urban traffic management strategies, the improvement of public transport and the promotion of other alternatives to the private car in major urban areas and the extension of compulsory vehicle testing to cars. In addition, as part of our WHO commitments, an interdepartmental working party was established to develop a national environmental health action plan, NEHAP, which will look at the association between environmental factors and health in a strategic way to create a framework to address this issue. NEHAP is being developed in partnership with the Department of the Environment and Local Government and with the assistance of other Departments. The working group is expected to make its report shortly.