Cold weather caused drop in air quality

AN air pollution incident that took place in Newtownstewart and Strabane in December last year is believed to have been caused by the increased burning of wood and other fuels to heat homes.

Details of the incident, which happened between December 10 and 14, are included in the latest report on air pollution which has just been published by the Department of Environment, Agriculture and Rural Affairs (DAERA).

It’s the 21st such report and records the levels of pollutants at a range of sites across the North, including Newtownstewart and at Springhill, Strabane and in parts of Mid Ulster.

According to the document, the levels of ‘PM2.5’, which contains particles which can be carried into the lungs, reached high levels at both north Tyrone locations in December 2022.

This pollution incident coincided with a drop in temperatures, which the report concludes may have resulted in an increase in the burning of wood, other solid fuels and oil to heat homes, potentially contributing to the elevated PM concentrations which were observed.

At times during the year the levels at Newtownstewart of ‘Particle Matter’ – or PMs – were above the guidelines set by the World Health Organisation (WHO). However, these guidelines are not legally binding.

Although there are no air quality management stations in the Omagh area, three are in operation in Mid Ulster due to the levels of nitrogen dioxide from road traffic.

The levels of various pollutants were assessed in the report, including ‘PM2.5’, which are particles from the by-products of burning fuels, solid fuels, domestic woods and coal burning, as well as road transport and industrial combustion.