Health atlas: draft proof of concept data story
The burning issue of air quality
- How we heat our homes affects air quality and our health
- How does that affect your health?
- What does the science say about the effects of air quality on health?
- How does Ireland compare to other European countries?
- What are the observed trends in PM2.5 in Ireland?
- What can we do to protect the environment and ourselves?
!!! This is draft content intended as a proof of concept only for what a story could look like in a health atlas. The intended use is only to show how a user might interact with such a data story. The content is not approved or endorsed in any way. No work has been carried out on the style, design and presentation. !!!
How we heat our homes affects air quality and our health
While air quality in Ireland is generally good, there are
concerning localised issues.
These issues
impact negatively on our environment and on our health, resulting in
approximately 1,600 premature deaths per year [Air quality report 2023,
EPA].
We often burn solid fuels like coal, peat and
wood to heat our homes. This practice is the source of one of our main
air pollutants of concern - Fine Particulate Matter or PM2.5.
On cold still nights, we see high levels of PM2.5 in our
villages, towns and cities.
Particulate Matter (PM) consists of very small particles which can be
solid or liquid. Particulate matter is usually referred to as PM with a
number after it to show how small the PM is. Fine particulate matter, or
PM2.5, is at most 2.5 microns in size.
Here it is relative to the
size of the average strand of human hair.
We know that solid fuel burning in our homes is the primary source
through research projects like Source Apportionment of Particulate
Matter in Urban and Rural Residential Areas of Ireland. Between 2014 to
2016 this project monitored air quality in Killarney, Enniscorthy and
Birr and analysed the composition of the PM2.5 to see where
it came from. Real-time monitoring showed that residential solid fuel
burning was the dominant source category at all three locations.
These graphs for each study location show the full breakdown of
composition:
How does that affect your health?
The quality of the air we breathe is of critical importance to
our health and the health of our ecosystems.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified poor air quality as
the single largest threat to public health (WHO, 2021). In the case of
fine particulate matter, these fine particles are small enough to pass
through the lungs and into the blood stream causing health impacts such
as cardiopulmonary disorders, respiratory disorders and stroke. While
the evidence base supporting these physical affects has been known for
some time, there is now also mounting evidence of the negative effects
of PM2.5 on mental health. Due to their growing physiology,
children are exposed in different ways to air pollution than adults, and
the impact this has on their health is also different.
Click on the
markers on the graphic below to find out more about how exposure to
ambient PM2.5 effects that part of the body.
What does the science say about the effects of air quality on health?
Air Quality and its association with cardiovascular and
respiratory hospital admissions in Ireland
This study
by the HSE and EPA looked at daily hospital admissions for
cardiovascular and respiratory diseases for patients with addresses in
Dublin city and county and tried to find patterns between this and
changes to the Air Quality Index for Health (AQIH). The AQIH combines
different air quality measures to give a number between 1 and 10 to tell
you what the air quality is in the station nearest you and whether or
not this might affect the health of you or your child.
Their main findings of this study using routinely gathered information was that there was likelihood of increased hospital admissions for asthma (up to 48 hours later), COAD (24 hours later), and heart failure (up to 24 hours later) between 2014 and 2018 with changes in short-term ambient AQIH. Changes in the AQIH did not seem to cause a rise in admissions for all CVS or RS diseases though; conditions such as atrial fibrillation and myocardial infarction were not affected. This might be because the AQIH combines the status of many pollutants, each of which can have different impacts on different health conditions (i.e. PM2.5 particles; PM10 particles; nitrogen dioxide gas; ozone gas; and sulphur dioxide gas).
While the evidence base supporting the physical affects has been
known for some time, there is now also mounting evidence of the negative
effects of PM2.5 on mental health.
This
cross-sectional analysis uses data on mental health and wellbeing from
The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA), a nationally
representative survey of the population aged 50+ in Ireland. Annual
average PM2.5 concentrations at respondents’ residential
addresses over the period 1998–2014 are used to measure long-term
exposure to ambient PM2.5. The study looked for a
relationship between long-term (considered >6 months) exposure to
ambient PM2.5 and mental health outcomes of depression,
anxiety, stress, worry and quality of life.
Associations were
found between long-term PM2.5 exposure and depression and
anxiety, but there was no evidence of association for stress, worry or
quality of life. Many potentially related factors (e.g. age, sex,
employment status, marital status, long-term health limitations, alcohol
consumption problems, smoking status, polypharmacy and entitlement to
free public healthcare) were accounted for and were found not to
substantially affect these results.
A recent survey of public knowledge and perceptions of air pollution
in Ireland concluded that environmental health literacy around air
pollution is critically lacking among respondents [Quintyne, KAP of air
pollution].
Therefore, this literacy gap must be addressed equally
across society if behavioural change is to be achieved.
Q: Air pollution poses a serious health risk to the public
81% of respondents agreed that air pollution poses serious health risks, but there was a lack of specific knowledge about sources and resulting health conditions.
For example, about 50% of respondents didn’t know that that PM is one
of the main air pollutants of concern in Ireland
Q: Particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5) is one of the main air pollutants in Ireland
About 35% identified industry as a significant source of particulate
matter but only 7.5% identified home stoves/fires as a source. While
industry is a major source of PM10 in Ireland, burning solid fuels in
our homes is the main source of fine particulate matter
(PM2.5).
Q: Which of these is the most significant source of particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5) in Ireland?
Only about half of respondents agreed that PM exposure increases the
risk of developing breathing and heart related diseases.
Q: Higher amounts of particulate matter increase the chances of developing breathing and heart-related diseases
How does Ireland compare to other European countries?
Ireland’s latest monitoring shows air quality is in compliance with current EU standards. However, there are no safe levels of air pollution; based on evidence globally the current advice from the World Health Organisation (WHO) suggests that exposure to even very low levels of air pollution can have lasting negative effects. Ireland’s ambition in the Clean Air Strategy is to move towards the more stringent WHO Air Quality guidelines in 2040, with interim targets in 2026 and 2030; this will be challenging but will have a significantly positive impact on health.
[interactive version of
this graph]
What are the observed trends in PM2.5 in Ireland?
Overall, the long-term trends in ambient PM2.5 levels have been falling.
Since the dominant source is the burning of solid fuels in home
heating, levels of PM2.5 are most problematic where more people live; in
or near villages, towns and urban centres. The census 2022 asked what
the households primary method of home heating is.
This map shows the
proportions of homes in each Small Area where the predominant method of
heating is from the burning of solid fuels.
[this will be an
interactive map in the atlas]
Animated graphs showing seasonality and trends over time at specific
locations. In the designed product, these will be marked on this map and
animate in popups when clicked.
