Yep come on culchies keep on pumping out those cancer causing dioxins….

Shure feck all those D4 types it’s live & let pollute in the country.

Hi John, that information comes from the Dept of Environment, I don’t have a copy of the research myself.

The department says that air quality monitoring by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has shown levels of particulate matter (PM10) are lower in the areas where the ban is in place than in towns where the ban does not apply.

Increased levels of PM10 have been linked to illness and cancer:
http://erc.epa.ie/safer/iso19115/display?isoID=69 and http://www.epa.gov/airtrends/aqtrnd95/pm10.html

Aoife

@ John Paul. Guessing by your 1979 first name I would say your are too young to remember Dublin during an inversion in the 70s or 80s.

The smog was unbelievable and all the stone buildings were black from acid rain. If you had experienced it you wouldn’t have to ask that question.

Fair play to Mary Harney at the time for bringing in the ban. I have no doubt it saved lives and improved quality of life for all dublin residents.

@Gavin, I remember what some winters were like back before the ban on smokeless fuel. Going out and not being able to see two feet in front of you for the smog.

@Gavin Not that it matters, I think tt is debatable whether Mary Harney was responsible or not. Dublin city council introduced the ban. The govt then blocked them. And afterwards the govt did a u-turn. The senior minister in charge was P Flynn. Harney was his junior minister.

Gavin, I was JP long before the pope. He copied me. Remember working in walkinstown during the 80′s and not being able to see ballyfermot with smog. Still think the claims of death by coal smoke is fanciful.

@ Trisha. I remember clothes and hair stinking of smog and nose, throat and eyes stinging too.

The damage to trees and other plant life around the city was very obvious too. Did a school project on lichens in the millennium year as they are good indicators of air quality. We compared lichen species in Meath & Dublin…lichen was almost non existent in Dublin city.

@ JP apologies for assuming you were a tiger pup.

With regards to lives saved or prolonged by the smoky coal ban i remember watching my Granny slowly suffocate to death from COPD after many years of smoking. She had given up the fags in the 80s but her lungs were badly damaged. She died in Blanch hospital after regularly being kept alive on pure oxygen. She died in 2004 and I have no doubt the smoky coal ban coupled with the great care in Blanchardstown hospital extended her life by possibly by 10 years.

Here’s a link to the study done on the effects of the coal ban in 1989. You only need to read the summary part.
zukunft-elbinsel.de/WAe/Material/Studien/Irland_Clancy_2002.pdf

“About 116 fewer respiratory deaths and 243 fewer cardiovascular deaths were seen per year in Dublin after the ban.” Far from fanciful.

Meant 1990 not 1989.

I bet you that you are wrong about nearly everything. Smoking is obviously harmless too.

Well I bet you that if this Country listens to enough people like you that life will not be worth living in Ireland, the words “Freedom” and “Liberty” will be removed from all dictionaries because our Masters won’t want us getting ideas above our station.

Answer me one question can someone be governed without their consent?

You couldn’t find a more committed libertarian than myself. However around the world millions of people die every year because of air pollution. Who’s “freedom” are you referring to? The freedom of someone to kill hundreds of people in towns in Ireland burning coal or the far more important freedom to breath safe air? You’re using the same idiotic argument that the pro-smoking brigade use against those opposed to having smoke blown in their faces. You have been given posts to research. Try reading some of it before putting your mouth in gear.

Let’s put this in context. We are talking about a f**king bag of coal not nuclear waste.
All these so called experts telling us that this is bad and that is bad. They haven’t a clue. It’s only another gimmick. The Govt that supposed to be working for those that voted for them is trying to force their opinions, their LIMITED WARPED opinions on everyone.
If you are a true libertarian then you must agree in personal liberty and that no one can make a choice for you without your consent. Burning a bag of coal heats a house it does not cause mass bloody murders no matter what these overpayed, poker up the backside experts say.