DEALERS in illegal ‘smokey coal’ are putting people’s health at risk from air pollution, with calls being made for a clamp-down on the sale of these fuels in the county.

Data from the EPA has shown there were seven exceedances of air quality regulations recorded in Ennis last year, with Councillor Mary Howard (FG) saying the county capital “has a smog issue you would associate with the likes of Los Angeles”.

Despite a nationwide ban on the burning of smokey fuels, the councillor told a meeting of the Ennis Municipal District it is “obvious” they are still being used in Ennis and she was aware of social media posts from operators outside the town advertising the sale of potentially illegal fuels.

Meanwhile Councillor Tom O’Callaghan (FF) said he has a “real concern” that there is currently only one air quality monitor in Ennis, describing air pollution as a “silent killer”. The Clarecastle based councillor highlighted the issue of air quality in the county’s towns and villages also this week at a meeting of Clare County Council.

The local authority’s environment section has confirmed funding has been secured to install additional monitors across Ennis town and its environs this year.
While there were exceedances in Ennis last year, Brendan Flynn, Senior Executive Engineer, Environment Section outlined there have been no breaches in Clare, with the limit under the regulations only deemed breached if there are more than 35 exceedances in a 24 hour period during the year.

Also there has been a reduction of more than a third on the number of air quality exceedances last year compared with 2023.

Referencing this data, Director of Services for the Ennis Municipal District Sean Lenihan, insisted Ennis does not have “a big air quality situation”.

He agreed air pollution is “a very serious issue” and said the monitor currently operating in Ennis has been “strategically placed” and that the new monitors planned will give a “clearer picture” going forward.

Speaking at the Ennis meeting, Councillor Howard pointed out the use of smokey coal in Ennis homes is “quite obvious on a still winter’s night” as the smoke can be seen coming from chimneys.

“There are people coming into town, I’ve seen them online making arrangements to meet people and drop off coal. They don’t identify if it’s smokeless or smokey, but you can only assume if someone isn’t going to their local coal yard in Ennis they are getting something they are not supposed to be burning,” she said.

Councillor Howard requested the municipal district install more monitors, develop a Clare Air Strategy for Ennis and carry out more inspections of solid fuel producers and retailers.

She said there is a “real fear” for the health of people in Ennis, with poor air quality resulting in more hospital admissions for people with respiratory conditions like asthma or COPD.

Councillor O’Callaghan commented air pollution is a “major problem” with exposure linked to a number of health conditions as well as reducing life expectancy.

“The reality of it is, it’s a silent killer and it is crucially important that the public, and I blame the government nationally on this, have more information. It is a real concern we only have one monitoring station in town. If you have a blackspot, we don’t actually know where it is.”

He said people need to know where the issues are to avoid potential dangers. “We could be going for a walk for mindfulness out in the open, but we’re actually making ourselves sick. That needs to stop.”

Responding to Councillor Howard’s motion, Mr Flynn confirmed plans to install more monitors in Ennis and its environs for 2025. The purpose of the monitoring is two-fold,
“Firstly, we will gather information on air quality in geographically different parts of Ennis and with housing of different types and construction dates. Secondly, this will give Clare County Council and the EPA more reference points that can be used to predict air quality forecasting more accurately and to provide additional data sets of air quality for comparison purposes. Once this is known we can address issues at a more local level and with a targeted approach.”

The introduction of the Air Pollution Act 1987 (Solid Fuels) Regulations 2022 has so far had “a positive impact on air quality in Ennis and more time is needed to realise the benefits of the regulations. The primary focus of these regulations is on improving air quality and improving people’s health outcomes, by restricting the retail, online and commercial sale of smoky fuels, including smoky coal, turf and wet wood.”

He stated that based on the latest EPA data there has been a 36% reduction on the number of air quality exceedances in Ennis when comparing 2024 to 2023..

“It is important to note that the limit specified in the regulations is only deemed to be breached if more than 35 exceedances occur over a 24-hour averaging period during the entire year. Based on EPA data currently available for 2024 there were 7 exceedances recorded in Ennis throughout 2024. To date there have been no breaches in County Clare of the Air Quality Regulations.”

The development of a Clean Air Strategy would be “premature” until the scale and location of the issues to be dealt with are known from the information provided and additional monitoring, he said.

“There is a Clean Air Strategy for Ireland and Clare has actively participated in funding supports as part of a pilot project and we will continue to work with the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications to avail of any mechanism to further improve Air Quality in Ennis.”

He confirmed the Environment section have notified all retailers of solid fuels of their obligations under the regulations and regular checks are carried out on retailers of solid fuels to ensure compliance.

In 2024 the Environment Section wrote to all known solid fuel retailers in the County to advise of compliance checks and their obligations under the 2022 Regulations.

Additionally, the Environment Section carried out 147 on site retailer inspections to ensure compliance.

“We plan to follow up on this initial inspection programme where non-compliances were detected to ensure that retailers are now compliant. Therefore, ensuring that only approved solid fuels are sold by retailers. The Environment Section plan to continue this inspection programme throughout 2025. The Environment Section have developed a Retail
Register and will update this register as required. In addition, we will continue with our multi agency roadside checkpoints to ensure that unapproved fuel is not being transported within the county. We will also carry out inspections on the sale of unapproved sold fuels though online sales.”

Clare County Council is also active across many different Directorates to further improve air quality, he stated outling the new social housing schemes delivered by the Social Housing Directorate do not use solid fuel heating.

A Climate Action Plan 2024-2029 for Clare has being developed in accordance with national climate change policies.

“These strategies include for adaptation and mitigation measures which will improve air quality. These measures include smarter travel initiatives, increased use of electric vehicles and charging infrastructure, retrofitting of housing, green infrastructure, and healthier living initiatives. Various directorates are tasked with delivering actions under this plan.

“Awareness and education also play a vital role in ensuring that only those fuels that are approved are used, and that there are health implications for use of unapproved fuels. Under the Greener Clare brand, we continue to promote through print and social media the positive message in relation to air quality actions.”