Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 10 March 2021
61. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the analysis his Department or agencies under the aegis of his Department have carried out into the direct and indirect health costs to the State of burning petrol and diesel at ground level across Ireland and in particular in Galway city; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12889/21]
View answerAs part of its on-going research funding, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is supporting research at Trinity College Dublin into the impact of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) on health, with particular emphasis on vulnerable groups. NO2 is primarily a pollutant generated by traffic, and this study seeks to establish appropriate data which can determine the correlation between NO2 levels and the prescribing of drugs used to treat asthma and chronic obstructive airways disease.
The EPA has also recently published the results of a separate study, “Particulate Matter from Diesel Vehicles: Emissions and Exposure”. This report considers the contribution of diesel and petrol vehicles to the level of PM2.5 emissions in Dublin, and so is a valuable gauge in assessing the extent to which health problems caused by PM2.5 may be associated with such vehicles.
Last year the European Public Health Alliance completed a study on the health costs of air pollution in European cities, and the linkage with transport, which focused on 432 cities across all Member States, including both Dublin and Cork cities. The report quantified and valued pollution-related health impacts, concluding that the total annual per capita cost is €836 in Dublin, and €756 in Cork. The overall average per capita cost across the EU was €1,276 per annum.
An initial report on the work of the Urban Transport-Related Air Pollution Working Group which is jointly chaired by my Departments will also be published shortly, and will include a range of recommendations to further address transport-related emissions.
