The government is being urged to meet higher standards for air quality.
A new clean air strategy sets out a target of 2040 to meet World Health Organisation guidelines to reduce air pollution.
The EPA says Ireland met all of its EU legal requirements for air quality in 2021, but it didn't meet the new health-based WHO guidelines.
Advocacy Manager for Environmental Health and Tobacco for the Irish Heart Foundation, Mark Murphy, wants to see the Government work to meet these targets sooner:
'It effective has stricter guidelines than the EU levels. If we meet with the WHO standards rather than the EU standards we will be saving lives. We also will be reducing long-term disability and illness. That is why it is so important to reach those targets. It will be difficult but everyone on the Island of Ireland will benefit from it.'
