PEOPLE living in Ireland are being exposed to air pollution "well in excess" of safe levels that causes an estimated 2,600 premature deaths each year, new findings show.
A report from Queen's University Technological University Dublin researchers found the pollution led to 900 deaths annually in the north, and 1,700 in the Republic.
The Air Pollution and Mortality on the Island of Ireland report was commissioned by the British Heart Foundation Northern Ireland (BHFNI) and the Irish Heart Foundation, and revealed people were exposed to pollution well over safe levels of five micrograms of particulate matter per cubic metre, as identified by the World Health Organization.
The figures were based on mortality data gathered in 2019, and the report comes as environmental campaigners prepare for a legal challenge against Stormont's Department for Infrastructure over a claim hundreds of thousands of diesel cars in the north have not received a legally compliant exhaust emissions test.
The case, taken by the Friends of the Earth group, is due for a full High Court hearing in June.
Among conditions caused by the inhalation of particles, mostly resulting from the burning of solid fuels, are heart disease and strokes, of which around 300 deaths per year in the north are linked to pollution causing blood vessels to become narrower and harder, and leading to abnormal heart rhythms.
The new report was launched at the Department of the Environment, Climate, and Communications in Dublin, and BHFNI head Fearghal McKinney said action was required on both sides of the border to reduce pollution.
"This report clearly shows that deaths from heart disease and strokes could be prevented by improving air quality," he said.
"This is an issue which requires a coordinated response across the island. There is a role for governments north and south to lead on this in order to meet World Health Organization targets.
"A restored Northern Ireland Executive must deliver on the first clean air strategy for Northern Ireland. We were pleased to work with the Irish Heart Foundation on this report and we will continue to work together to highlight this issue and to improve health outcomes for everyone."
Irish Heart Foundation CEO, Tim Collins said the findings made for "stark reading", adding: "We hope that decision makers on the island will utilise it to move forward with bold action on air pollution to protect our health.
"The best way to do this would be to reduce drastically the amount of solid fuel that is being burned across the island as a whole."
The Republic's environment minister Eamon Ryan said: "The onus is on us to move towards the new WHO guidelines. I am committed to finding the most appropriate policy pathways towards achieving this, with the ultimate aim of providing cleaner air for all."