Irish turf, smoke coal and wet wood are banned from retail sale on Monday after final approval from Environment, Climate and Communications Minister Eamon Ryan.
The new solid fuel regulations aim to improve air quality and improve people’s health.
Air pollution is said to kill more people each year in Ireland than car accidents and can cause stroke, heart disease, lung cancer and respiratory illness.
Despite the impact on health, some politicians have criticized the measure.
Under the new rules, first announced in September, retailers will no longer be able to sell the most polluting fuels from October 31.
Only low-smoke products can be legally sold in stores, but people with turban rights in relation to lawns will not be affected.
According to Mirror, a DECC spokesperson said: “These fuels are proven to be a major contributor to air pollution in Ireland. The main health effects of air pollution include stroke, heart disease, lung cancer, and both chronic and acute respiratory diseases, including asthma. These conditions can lead to sickness and ill health, as well as premature mortality.”
“Burning of solid fuels is a significant contributor to poor local air quality by increasing the amount of fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) and other pollutants in our homes and communities. It is also linked to increases in respiratory disease, cardiovascular disease, dementia and also impacts on the central nervous and reproductive systems. The net effect of these changes is that the same rules that applied in ‘low smoke zones’, first introduced in Dublin thirty years ago, will now be operational across the country, resulting in significantly cleaner air for everyone,” they added, reported Mirror.
“While this will represent a change to those who have used smoky fuels up to now, a wide variety of less harmful products – such as low-smoke coal (ovoids) – are available which are cleaner and more cost-efficient. Another significant effect is that access to turf through retail outlets and the internet will no longer be possible, while wood that is bought for domestic heating will be drier and cleaner to burn as a consequence,” they continued, reported Irish Mirror.
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