Donal Hickey: When smoke gets in your eyes... and lungs
Despite being banned in Ireland, smoky coal continues to be brought down from Northern Ireland in substantial quantities representing a loss of millions to the Exchequer
So many people reckon there's nothing more comforting than sitting by a blazing open fire on a cold winter evening. Smoke now billowing from chimneys countrywide tells the story.
We seem to love the fire more than some of our European neighbours. Our use of solid fuels, such as coal and turf, for heating is high by western European standards. According to the 2022 census, 9% of householders here use such fuels compared to just 2% in Britain.
Anyway, the authorities are trying to wean us away from burning solid fuel in the home, and to avoid smoky fuels which are causing dangerous air pollution. Transport emissions and industry are other sources of such pollution.
Tiny particulates — usually invisible bits of dust, dirt, and soot that float in the air — are bad for our lungs, and can result in deaths from heart disease, stroke, and chest illnesses. Walk around built-up areas these nights and you’ll smell (never mind breathe) smoke.
An awareness campaign on smoky coal has been launched by Solid Fuel Merchants of Ireland (SFMI) with a new poster highlighting its adverse effects.
A year ago, the Government brought in new regulations placing further restrictions on solid fuel, which also includes wet wood and turf. However, the SFMI claims that around €100 million worth of banned smoky coal continues to be brought here from Northern Ireland and is calling for a mandatory licensing system for all fuel merchants to tackle the problem.
Says SFMI chairman, Colin Ahern: “As responsible retailers, our collective efforts can effect meaningful change and pave the way for cleaner, safer, more sustainable fuel alternatives to be utilised while safeguarding legitimate businesses that our organisation represents."
Separately, the EPA says there are 1,300 premature deaths in Ireland, each year, due to air pollution.
Irish Heart Foundation chief executive, Tim Collins, says up to 1,000 lives could be saved if air pollution here was brought into line with WHO levels, while calling for a drastic reduction in the amount of solid fuel being burned.
Finally, hailing from a rural district where everybody burned turf, I vividly remember an exceptionally wet year, several decades ago, when it was impossible to dry turf... quite like this year. It lives on in folk memory as ‘the year of the wet turf’: an experience that shattered the proverb about there being no smoke without fire. It’s impossible to get a flame from wet turf, but when you try to light the sods, a huge amount of thick, suffocating smoke is generated. There was never more smoke in the locality as was seen that winter. Truly, a case of smoke without fire!
