Smoky Coal Banned Across All of Ireland in 2022, After Years of Pressure From Asthma Campaigners

Until 2022 the smoky coal ban covered only 42 Irish towns and cities, so most households could still burn the dirtiest fuel. The Air Pollution Act 1987 (Solid Fuels) Regulations 2022 took effect on 31 October 2022 and effectively made the whole country a low-smoke zone: coal products must emit under 10 grams of smoke per hour (5 grams from 2025), and wood sold for heating must be dry (under 25 percent moisture, tightening to 20 percent). The Asthma Society of Ireland campaigned for a nationwide ban for years, commissioned a 2020 University College Cork law clinic report on how to make it legally robust, and warmly welcomed the rules when they were announced in September 2021 while saying it would have preferred all smoky fuels to be covered. It still presses for stronger enforcement, because its own report found banned fuels leaking into low-smoke zones.