As many as 3,400 people die prematurely every year in Ireland as a result of poor air quality, An Taisce has claimed.

According to the organisation, which works to protect and preserve Ireland's heritage, traffic is the ‘main culprit' and Ireland must work harder to reduce pollutants from diesel motor vehicles.

It said that high levels of air pollution lead to unnecessarily high levels of respiratory conditions, such as asthma and bronchitis.

This problem also takes a big financial toll on the country, with poor air quality costing the economy around €6.3 billion every year through direct healthcare costs and absenteeism from work and education.

An Taisce has written to the Minister for Health, Dr James Reilly, and the Minister for the Environment, Phil Hogan, asking them to work to try to reform EU laws on air pollution.

"We're fully familiar with the consequences of weak legislation and poor regulation in the financial sector. When it comes to protecting people from air pollution - particularly the very young and elderly - the fallout is even more stark," insisted the organisation's policy director, James Nix.

He noted that this is not just a problem in Ireland. Europe-wide, some 420,000 premature deaths can be blamed on poor air quality, costing around €790 billion annually.

He called on Ministers Reilly and Hogan to use Ireland's EU presidency to attempt to deliver better air quality in Europe.

The organisation noted that while progress has been made in Ireland, the country is still in breach of EU laws relating to traffic-induced nitrogen oxides, which are thought to contribute to the development of respiratory conditions.

"An Taisce is advocating that Ireland avoids long-term breach of EU law on nitrogen oxides. A failure to tackle traffic-derived air pollution over time will cost Ireland dearly in the longer run," it said.

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