Health - Thurles Information

Child Airlifted To Dublin Hospital.

A child has been airlifted to hospital in Dublin, following a fall at Main Street, Carricik-on-Suir, Co. Tipperary on Monday afternoon last.

We understand the child, a male aged 3 years, fell from a flat roofed building and was removed to CHI (Children’s Health Ireland), Temple Street, Dublin, to be treated for his injuries.

Gardaí assisted emergency services at the scene of the incident, at approximately 3:15pm on Monday last, June 19th, 2023, before the child was transferred by air ambulance to CHI at Temple Street Dublin.

We understand the child remains in a stable condition.

Irish Blood Transfusion Service Seek Donations At Thurles Clinics.

The Irish Blood Transfusion Service (ITBS) has issued a strong appeal to people to give blood at four clinics here in Thurles Co. Tipperary in the coming week.

The service had already issued an alert on May 29th last, following blood levels in hospitals having run critically low, over the past number of weeks.

IBTS need to collect an extra 400 donations per week during the month of June and is therefore appealing to local blood donors to make a special effort to attend at upcoming clinic dates.

Note: New blood donors are welcome.

Blood can be given at The Dome, Semple Stadium, on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, June 26th – June 29th from 4:50pm to 8:10pm.

For Appointments: Please call Tel No -1800 222 111.

FSAI Serve Notice On Iceland Ireland.

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) confirms it has served a notice on Thursday 16th June 2023 on Metron Stores Limited, trading as Iceland Ireland for the immediate withdrawal from its retail stores of all imported frozen food of animal origin which has been imported into Ireland since 3rd March 2023.

In addition, the FSAI is directing the company to recall the implicated product from consumers. As a precaution, the FSAI is advising consumers not to eat any imported frozen food of animal origin bought from Iceland Ireland stores since 3rd March 2023. Foods of animal origin are any products that contain ingredients that come from an animal, such as chicken, meat, fish, eggs, dairy products, etc. This enforcement action is due to a number of identified breaches of food legislation and an ongoing investigation.

The reasons for serving this notice include:

Inadequate evidence of traceability of imported frozen food of animal origin in Iceland Ireland. There have been a number of incidents of non-compliance with import control legislation in relation to frozen foods of animal origin. Some frozen food of animal origin has been imported into Ireland without pre-notification and completion of entry declarations and health certificates since 3rd March 2023.

Discussions with the company have taken place and the investigation involves the FSAI; the Environmental Health Service of the Health Service Executive; the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine; the Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority.

As part of the investigation, the FSAI has informed the European Commission, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) UK, Food Standards Agency Northern Ireland, and Food Standards Scotland and are sharing relevant information to support the investigation.

The FSAI Advice Line can be contacted at info@fsai.ie or through our social media channels @FSAIinfo. Further details can be found on the FSAI website.

EPA Finds No Significant Improvement In Irish Water Quality Of Rivers And Lakes.

The Munster Suir catchment area has the highest decline in quality water status.
Overall, there is no significant improvement in the biological quality of our rivers or lakes in 2022; improvements are happening in some areas but these are offset by declines elsewhere.
When excess nutrients – nitrogen and phosphorus – enter our water courses, they cause an overgrowth of plants and algae. This in turn clogs up our water courses, uses up oxygen and harms fish and other aquatic life.
Nitrogen levels, mainly from agriculture from fertilisers and manures, have increased in rivers and groundwater in 2022;
Phosphorus levels, mainly from agricultural runoff and wastewater discharges, are generally stable but are still too high in many rivers and lakes.
Action needs to be taken by the agriculture sector and Uisce Éireann to reduce the losses of both nutrients to the environment.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has today published the report Water Quality in 2022 – An Indicators Report which provides an update on the water quality of Ireland’s rivers, lakes, estuaries, coastal, and groundwaters for 2022. The report states that one of the most significant stressors on water quality and ecosystem health is high nutrient levels, such as nitrogen and phosphorus. These nutrients can enter our waters as a result of human activities such as agriculture, waste water and forestry. The EPA’s assessment shows no significant improvement nationally in the biological quality of rivers and lakes in 2022, which is largely attributable to excess nitrogen and phosphorous.

Overall, nitrogen levels in rivers and groundwater increased between 2021 and 2022. Nitrogen is too high in 40 percent of river sites and in 20 percent of estuarine and coastal water bodies. In addition, phosphorus levels are too high in 28 percent of rivers and 36 percent of lakes.

Commenting on the report, Dr Eimear Cotter, Director of the EPA’s Office of Evidence and Assessment, said: “Clean water is essential for our health and wellbeing, our economy and for wildlife. The failure to improve water quality in 2022 and over the longer term is extremely disappointing. We will not meet our water quality objectives until nutrient levels are reduced in those areas where they are too high. Addressing this must be a priority for the agriculture sector and Uisce Éireann to reduce the losses of nutrients to water. While we can see improvements happening in some areas, these are offset by declines elsewhere, so overall there is no discernible change in the biological quality of our rivers or lakes in 2022. Improvements need to be far greater and more widespread to translate into an improving national picture”.

The ecology of our estuaries and coastal waters are particularly sensitive to nitrogen. The worst impacted estuaries for nitrogen exceedances are Glashaboy Estuary (Cork), Wexford Harbour, Castletown Estuary (Louth), Upper Barrow Estuary (Kilkenny) and Corock Estuary (Wexford).

Changes in nutrient levels and biological quality are key indicators of progress in achieving our water quality objectives. When these excess nutrients enter our water courses, they cause an overgrowth of plants and algae. This in turn clogs up our water courses, uses up oxygen and harms other more sensitive aquatic life.

Mary Gurrie, EPA Programme Manager, added: “We need to see full implementation of the Nitrates Action Programme through compliance promotion and targeted agricultural inspections. Uisce Éireann must prioritise investment in areas where wastewater is impacting on water quality, and the forthcoming River Basin Management Plan must provide a comprehensive plan to address all the pressures on our water environment to protect and improve this precious resource.”

Water Quality in 2022 – An Indicators Report is now available on the EPA website

In 2021, Growth In Agricultural Activity Driving Increased Ammonia Emissions in Ireland.

Ireland’s ammonia emissions increased by 1% in 2021 as the impact of higher livestock numbers and fertiliser use outpaced the impact of emission reduction measures currently being implemented at farm level.
Ireland is non-compliant with our EU Emissions Reduction commitment in 2021 for Ammonia. Compliance with the 2030 Reduction Commitment is only possible with full implementation of all identified measures, such as low emissions slurry spreading, and widespread use of inhibited urea fertiliser products.
The use of coal and fuel oil in power generation trebled in 2021, leading to increases in emissions of Nitrogen Oxides (NOx), Particulate Matter (PM2.5) and Sulphur Dioxide (SO2), showing the direct link between fossil fuel use and air pollutant emissions.
Ireland was compliant in 2021 with EU emissions reduction commitments for the other key air pollutants; non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOCs), sulphur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5).
Additional actions are needed to reduce emissions of non-methane volatile organic compounds in the spirit production sector.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today published its 2021 assessment of five key air pollutants which impact air quality, health and the environment.
The pollutants are:

ammonia,
non-methane volatile organic compounds
sulphur dioxide
nitrogen oxides
fine particulate matter

Ammonia emissions increased in 2021 by nearly 1%. Growth in livestock numbers, including a 3% increase in dairy cow numbers, led to an increase in total national ammonia emissions. Increased use of low emission slurry spreading to 48% was not sufficient to counteract the impact of the overall growth in livestock numbers.
Ireland has not complied with EU National Emission Reduction Commitments for 9 of the past 10 years for ammonia emissions, which cause significant environmental damage to valuable ecosystems and can also impact local air quality and human health.
Commenting on the report Dr Eimear Cotter, (Director of the EPA’s Office of Evidence and Assessment) said: “The EPA’s assessment shows that the impact of good practices that are currently being implemented at the farm level, such as low emission slurry spreading and the use of protected urea, are not enough to counteract the impact of increased livestock numbers and fertiliser use.
More and faster uptake of known measures is needed.
While compliance with the EU 2030 targets for ammonia is possible, it will be tight and is at risk should anything less than full implementation of all measures be delivered, or if the level of activity in the sector exceeds projections“.

The use of coal and fuel oil in power generation trebled in 2021, which led to increases in emissions of NOx, PM2.5 and SO2, illustrating the direct link between fossil fuel use and air pollutant emissions . Emissions of NOx increased by 3% overall, driven by increased fossil fuel use in power generation. These increases masked a decrease in NOx emissions from transport of almost 4% in 2021 reflecting a continued improvement in vehicle NOx abatement technologies.

Commenting on the findings Mr Stephen Treacy, (Senior Manager) said: “The data shows the direct link between fossil fuel use and air pollutant emissions, highlighting the importance of accelerating Ireland’s transition towards renewables for the generation of heat and electricity, which will benefit both the climate and air quality”.
Emissions of non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOCs) increased by 2% in 2021, driven largely by increased activity in spirit production for beverages. While compliance with the NMVOC emission reduction commitment has been achieved, effective abatement measures for this source are needed if future emissions reduction targets are to be met.
For further detail on these figures, see the EPA report Ireland’s Air Pollutant Emissions 1990-2030 HERE.
For further information contact: Ms Emily Williamson, EPA Media Relations Office TEL: 053-9170770 (24 hours) or media@epa.ie