Health « Thurles Information

Air Quality Report On World Lung Day

World Lung Day 2019

Today, September 25th, 2019, marks World Lung Day, a day for advocacy and action, and an opportunity for everyone to promote better lung health globally.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has today launched its annual Air Quality report, on World Lung Day. The report shows that while air quality complied with the legal limits, the World Health Organization’s health-related guideline values were not being met.

Air quality impacts people’s health and there are an estimated 1,180 premature deaths here in Ireland, per year, due to air pollution. Levels of particulate matter (fine particles) in our air remains a growing concern.

Levels of this pollutant are particularly high during the winter months when people’s use of solid fuels, such as coal, peat and wood impacts negatively on air quality, especially in small towns and villages.

The EPA report notes that any movement along the spectrum of home heating choices and solid fuel choices towards cleaner modes will have a subsequent improvement on air quality.

In urban areas, transport related emissions of nitrogen dioxide are increasing, and it looks probable that Ireland will exceed the EU annual legal limit value for nitrogen dioxide in the near future.

In launching the report, ‘Air Quality in Ireland 2018’, Dr Micheál Lehane, Director of the EPA’s Office of Radiation Protection & Environmental Monitoring, has stated;

“We all expect that the air we breathe is clean, but we cannot take this for granted. Air pollution is a major environmental risk to health, so it is now time to tackle the two key issues that impact negatively on air quality in Ireland – transport emissions in large urban areas and emissions from burning of solid fuels. The choices we make affect the levels of pollution in the air we breathe. We need to decarbonise our public transport system and in general reduce our reliance on internal combustion vehicles. Moving to cleaner ways of heating our homes will also significantly improve air quality in our towns and cities.”

Dr Ciara McMahon, EPA Programme Manager has stated;

“The EPA’s air quality monitoring has shown that, while Ireland’s air quality complied with the EU legal standards in 2018, the levels of fine particles in the air we breathe did not meet the World Health Organization’s guideline values. Our monitoring also showed that in urban areas, the impact of traffic-related nitrogen dioxide pollution is increasing. These pollutants have a negative impact on people’s health and that is why we are continuing to install more monitoring stations across the country under the National Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Programme. This programme has now more than doubled the number of real-time monitoring stations providing air quality data across Ireland since 2017.”

The EU has introduced and implemented a range of legal instruments to improve air quality, these standards are still not in line with the tighter WHO air quality guidelines. The EPA has previously called for movement towards the adoption of these stricter guidelines, as legal and enforceable standards across Europe and in Ireland.

The Air Quality in Ireland 2018 report is available on the EPA website. The EPA continually monitors air quality across Ireland and provides the air quality index for health and real-time results online at www.airquality.epa.ie. Results are updated hourly on the website, and people can log on at any time to check whether the current air quality is good, fair or poor.

Reminder – The Climate is Changing – How Can We?

Ms Margaret Ryan (Asst. Librarian), Tipperary Co. Council Library Services, Nenagh is anxious to remind all residents of Co. Tipperary and in particular persons charged with responsibility, [i.e. Elected Municipal District Councillors, politicians and those who take on the task of accountability for our environment, e.g. members of the farming community & Tidy Towns groups etc.], of an event taking place on Thursday evening next, September 26th, 2019 in Nenagh Library.

As many of you are already aware, Nenagh Library is the Europe Direct Information Centre (EDIC) for the counties of Tipperary, Limerick, Cork and Kerry.

On Thursday next, September 26th, 2019, at 7:00pm, Nenagh Library will hold a Citizens Dialogue on ‘Climate Change & Sustainability’, as part of their 2019 ‘Programme of Events’.

The title of this talk will be ‘The Climate is Changing; How Can We?’, with keynote speakers on the night, Ms Cara Augustenborg, (Environmental scientist), and Mr Gerard Kiely, (Head of the European Commission Representation in Ireland).

There will also be a panel discussion afterwards, with panellists Mr Paul Kenny (CEO Tipperary Energy Agency) and Mr Gregg Allen (Project Manager, Community Power, Templederry), which will be chaired by Mr Fran Curry of Tipp FM Radio.

As many people as possible are expected to support this event.

Science is quite clear in stating that, currently, the very future of today’s children and their future offspring’s remain at stake. Homes are being swallowed up by the ocean, with rising sea levels threatening entire island states and coastal regions. We are experiencing dangerous floods, droughts, heatwaves and other extreme weather events. We therefore cannot allow climate change to spiral totally out of control.

This talk is a major opportunity for people to find out what they can do to make a significant difference; to gain answers to questions; to learn educated facts on climate change, and more importantly to make their voices heard on what is undoubtedly the single greatest challenge of our generation.

Remember please: Thursday evening next, September 26th, 2019, at 7:00pm, Nenagh Library. We hope to see you there.

110 Medical Patients Await A Hospital Bed In Co. Tipperary Today

According to the INMO trolly watch figures, a total of 598 people are waiting for available beds in hospitals across the Republic of Ireland this morning, Sept 24th 2019.

Same represents the highest level of patients waiting since early April last.

The worst affected medical facility is once again University Hospital Limerick (UHL), serving North Tipperary, where the number of patients waiting on trolleys remains close to already record figures of 80 patients.

Yesterday, September 23rd 2019, 81 people were waiting on trolleys at UHL, the joint-highest number ever recorded in any Irish hospital. More than 1,000 patients have had to wait on trolleys for a bed in UHL this month, making it the worst ever September on public record.

A further 30 patients are presently waiting on trolleys in South Tipperary General Hospital, bringing the total number of individuals (80 + 30) waiting for hospital beds in just County Tipperary alone, to 110 medical patients.

The silence from politicians and residents of Co. Tipperary continues.

Calls For A Ban On Vaping

**L-R**: President of Limerick University, Professor Dr. Desmond Fitzgerald & leading heart Consultant Professor Dr. Sherif Sultan.

Dr. Desmond Fitzgerald (President of the University of Limerick; professor of molecular medicine and former chief academic officer for the Ireland East Hospital Group), is urging the Department of Education to ban Vaping across all Irish educational institutions.

Dr. Fitzgerald has warned that Vaping; latter the practice of inhaling and exhaling the vapour produced by an electronic cigarette or similar device, is a real health risk and is being directly implicated in health crises and even deaths among those using the product.

Limerick University banned vaping and smoking on campus in 2018 and is currently the only University campus in Ireland to have initiated such a regulation.

Dr. Fitzgerald has critized ‘big business’ whom he correctly states are using aggressively marketing to push flavoured vaping products on young people, in particular. In calling for a ban, the professor strongly believes that we should waste no further time in mounting a robust challenge to these forces.

President of the International Society for Vascular Surgery, Professor Sherif Sultan, latter a leading heart consultant based in the Galway Clinic, has described e-cigarettes as “the disaster of the century” and the products are he claims “more dangerous than smoking and booze combined.”

Professor Sultan is now calling on the Health Minister Simon Harris to step in, before it’s too late, to ban the use of e-cigs with immediate effect.

Professor Sultan claims that “When Micheál Martin (Fianna Fáil leader) brought in the smoking ban some 15 years ago, it was the best thing that ever happened to this country, and now the present Health Minister needs to act similarly. This is an epidemic that must stop immediately. E-cigarettes are like a fashion accessory to young people, who fail to realise the amount of toxins in e-cigarettes. We have to warn people because many are under the impression this habit is safe”.

Professor Sultan joins Dr. Desmond Fitzgerald in his stance, calling on the Minister for Education and Skills to immediately institute a ban on vaping and smoking in any institution which is in receipt of Exchequer funds.

Already, internationally, (A) New York and Michigan have introduced a ban on flavoured vaping products. The US Senator Mr Mitt Romney has published legislation to prohibit flavoured vaping products and to apply cigarette taxes to vaping devices.
(B) India has announced a ban on the production, importation and sale of electronic cigarettes.

“We are facing into unchartered territories and the Irish health system cannot cope”, Professor Sultan continued.

State Of Your River Suir In Thurles This Evening

The picture shown hereunder is one of some 20 images taken just 20 meters south of Barry’s Bridge, Thurles, Co. Tipperary, this very evening.

This foamy effluent is being retained by the growth of slime, last removed conveniently to obviously affect voter’s opinions, prior to the last Local Town Council Elections.

This floating effluent remains in full view of visitors to the board-walk of The Source Theatre; visitors to Thurles Library and to those partaking of food at a local second floor popular restaurant. It is also being overlooked by the offices of would-be Fine Gael TD, Mrs Mary Newman Julian (or Mary 4 Tipperary).

Visitors, however, are remaining silent, having learned that attempts to correct such issues with Tipp. Co. Council, fall on deaf ears.

This evening, I have again forwarded an email to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), at the same time forwarding the same email to the nine members of the Templemore / Thurles Municipal District; namely seano.ryan@tipperarycoco.ie ; peter.ryan@tipperarycoco.ie; jim.ryan@tipperarycoco.ie; micheal.lowry@tipperarycoco.ie; seamus.hanafin@tipperarycoco.ie; noel.coonan@tipperarycoco.ie; michael.smith@tipperarycoco.ie; shane.lee@tipperarycoco.ie; eddie.moran@tipperarycoco.ie .

The email directed to Mr David O’ Connor (EPA), together with five (5) photographs (only one shown here above), simply reads:-

Dear Sir,
Please find attached 5 pictures. Same indicate the current state of the River Suir today.

Pictures were taken immediately in the vicinity of Barry’s Bridge, Thurles, Co. Tipperary.

As is obvious, the return of the slime growth in the water is now holding back the unknown / unnamed effluent being allowed into the water.

I was not impressed when your head office at Johnstown Castle contacted me, stating it was the responsibility of Tipp. Council Council to investigate. Tipperary County Council, however, did contact me some weeks ago, to ask (for the second time this year), “Where was Barry’s Bridge in Thurles?”

Your personnel are supposedly the “Environmental Protection Agency”, please now do your job and protect this River.

I am unlikely to hear further from Tipp. Co. Council, who in the past have not taken kindly to my complaints, so I am forwarding pictures, taken today (19/9/2019), singly, because of property size, attached in 4 separate emails beginning here, as I am unsure of the capacity of your Mail Box.

This pollution scenario has gone on for the past 12 months and must now be dealt with, before the river level again rises.

You Sir will note: This email has been forwarded to the nine (9) recently elected Templemore / Thurles Municipal District councillors.

I remain
Yours sincerely
George Willoughby

Although it is not a Local Election year; perhaps it is time again for Thurles Chamber of Commerce to lead us on yet another S.O.S. protest march here on Liberty Square, Thurles; in order to bring about real change for the town.