Air pollution is a significant environmental health risk in Europe and is linked to many diseases, including dementia. As a result, the quality of the air we breathe is very important.
This article will discuss Irish air quality and some of the major air pollutants in Ireland to be wary of.
Table of Contents
The EU’s Goal to Reduce Air Pollution
The Gothenburg Protocol was first introduced in the EU in 1999. The goal of the protocol was to cut down on air pollution across Europe. The EU uses the National Emission Reduction Commitments (NERC) Directive to achieve this goal.
The NERC Directive sets targets for reducing the following 5 major air pollutants in Ireland:
- Sulphur dioxide (SO2)
- Nitrogen oxides (NOx)
- Non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOCs)
- Ammonia (NH3)
- Particulate matter smaller than 2.5 micrometres (PM2.5)
Impact of The 5 Major Air Pollutants
Each of the 5 major air pollutants in Ireland affects the environment and human health in different ways:
Causes acid rain, which damages water bodies, soil, and buildings. SO2 mainly comes from burning fossil fuels like coal and oil.
Contributes to acid rain, ground-level ozone, and nitrogen overload in ecosystems. Primary sources of NOx include agriculture (due to nitrogen use) and burning fossil fuels.
Contributes to nitrogen buildup, acid rain, and the formation of secondary particulate matter. Over 99% of Ireland’s ammonia emissions come from agriculture, mainly animal manure and nitrogen fertilisers.
Released from paints, glues, and cleaning agents, as well as from burning fuel, farming, and spirit production. NMVOCs develop into ground-level ozone, which forms smog.
Comes from vehicle emissions, industrial activities, and reactions between other pollutants. PM2.5 can enter the lungs and cause serious health problems. In fact, PM2.5 causes over 1,000 premature deaths in Ireland each year.
What Is Acid Rain, and Why Does It Matter in Ireland?
Acid rain forms when sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides react with water vapour in the atmosphere, creating sulphuric and nitric acid that falls back to earth as rain, snow, or fog. Normal rain has a pH of around 5.6; acid rain typically falls between pH 4.2 and 4.4.
In Ireland, acid rain’s main effects are:
- Soil and water damage: acid rain strips essential nutrients like calcium and magnesium from soil, weakening trees and plants, and can lower the pH of lakes and rivers, harming fish and aquatic life.
- Building and infrastructure wear: acidic deposits accelerate the corrosion of stonework, metal, and older water pipes, which can, in turn, affect the quality of water passing through them.
- Long-term ecosystem stress: the damage from acid rain builds up slowly and is easy to overlook until it’s well established.
Ireland’s SO2 emissions are down 96% since 1990, largely from moving away from coal and peat in power generation. That’s a genuine success story, but acid deposition is still a live concern given ongoing NOx emissions from transport and diesel engines.
Report on Air Pollutants in Ireland
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) monitors air quality in Ireland using stations nationwide. In 2026, the EPA confirmed that Ireland met its EU emission reduction targets for all 5 major air pollutants for 2024: sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, ammonia, NMVOCs, and PM2.5.
This marks a shift since the previous reporting period. Ammonia, in particular, has now been in compliance for three consecutive years (2022 to 2024), a turnaround credited to wider adoption of low-emission slurry spreading and reduced cattle numbers on Irish farms. Ammonia had previously fallen outside EU targets in 2020 and 2021.
NMVOCs remain the more complicated case. Under standard accounting, Ireland’s NMVOC emissions still fall short of the required reduction, with spirit production now a significant contributor alongside paints, solvents, and fuel combustion. However, Ireland reaches compliance when the flexibility mechanism permitted under the EU Directive is applied, which accounts for newly identified emission sources not foreseen when the original targets were set.
Changes in the level of the 5 major air pollutants in Ireland (1990-2022)
Reducing Air Pollutants in Ireland
The EU allows some flexibility in meeting targets if new data that wasn’t predicted when the targets were set becomes available. This flexibility has helped Ireland bring its NMVOC emissions into compliance, even as the standard accounting figures still show a shortfall.
Ammonia’s turnaround has been driven largely by agriculture: the adoption of low-emission slurry spreading, combined with reductions in dairy and other cattle numbers, brought Ireland’s ammonia emissions into compliance for 2022, 2023, and 2024. An EPA Director commented on the wider picture:
“Ireland is on track to meet its 2030 EU Emissions Reduction targets for all five major air pollutants.”
Continued progress will depend on maintaining these on-farm practices, along with further reductions in NMVOC sources such as spirit production and solvent use.
Conclusion for Air Pollutants in Ireland
Ireland’s air quality is generally good by international standards, and the country has now brought all 5 major pollutants into compliance with EU targets. But acid rain, localised pollution hotspots, and sector-specific challenges like NMVOC emissions mean the work isn’t finished.
At Southern Scientific, we’re an INAB-accredited testing laboratory (ISO 17025, registration 194T) with over 30 years of experience monitoring air, water, noise, and soil across Ireland. Continuous, accredited monitoring is how pollution problems get caught early, before they escalate into compliance issues or health risks.
If dust or particulate matter is a concern at your site, our dust monitoring service gives you accurate, quantitative measurements of particle concentrations in the air. For broader air quality programmes, including compliance monitoring and pollution event investigation, our Environmental & Testing Consultancy team can design a monitoring plan suited to your site.
