By 2030, substantially reduce the number of deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and air, water and soil pollution and contamination.

CSO data

Claim: Achieving

3.9.1 The premature deaths attributed to PM2.5, NO2 and O3 exposure are 1,100,d 30, respectively, in 2016.

3.9.2 The mortality rate from unsafe water, unsafe sanitation and lack of hygiene was very low at 0.1 per 1,000 population in 2016. There death rate from unintentional poisoning in 2018 was 5.8 per 100,000 population.

Measuring what matters

3.9.1 Air quality in Ireland is generally good but there are persistent “concerning localised issues” threatening public health due to highly damaging fine particulate pollution, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Ireland met European Union legal air quality limits in 2022 but did not meet more stringent health-based World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines for pollutants including particulate matter (PM), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulphur dioxide and ozone due mainly to burning of solid fuel and heavy road traffic in cities. Source: Kevin O’Sullivan, Irish Times. Poor air quality causes an estimated 1,300 premature deaths in Ireland per year due to particulate matter. PM2.5 – its worst form – are tiny airborne particles mostly produced from burning fossil fuels, some of which can pass through the lungs and into the blood stream, affecting almost every organ in the body. Source: EPA