Burning of smoky fuel is bad for your health as well as environment 

'The fact is that when you sit in front of an open fire, you’re exposed to similar levels of toxic fumes found in traffic blackspots at rush hour'

It is estimated that 1,300 people lose their lives in Ireland every year because of air pollution.

After months of wrangling, a compromise plan has been hammered out by the Government. Anyone who has the right to cut turf on their land can continue to sell it to their friends and neighbours to burn it. There will be no ban on those with turbary rights cutting and selling turf if it is not sold in retail outlets like petrol station forecourts or online. What is at risk of being lost in the ashes is that burning of smoky fuels such as coal, poor quality turf and wet wood in the home is responsible for most deaths from air pollution every year.

Solid fuels like turf and coal contribute heavily to air pollution by adding fine particulate matter (PM) to the air – tiny particles that stay suspended in the air. This means that the damage is happening not just outside but in the living room as you watch television and snooze in front of the flickering flames.