A Fine Gael TD has accused local authorities of not doing enough to tackle air pollution in Irish towns and cities.
Fergus O'Dowd made the comments after the most recent spike in particulate matter air pollution in Ennis in Co Clare.
Exposure to particulate matter, especially PM 2.5 can have harmful health effects.
The main source of this particulate matter in Ireland is solid fuel burning of coal, wood and turf for home heating.
A ban on smoky coal has been in place in Ennis since 2011.
A similar ban on the burning of smoky fuels is in place in many towns and villages across the county with a population of over 10,000.
In mid-January the levels of PM measured in Ennis exceeded that of Beijing in China.
Local councillor Johnny Flynn said: "this is a serious issue and needs to be tackled because peoples lives are at risk".
Cllr Flynn said that these high levels are being experienced by the residents of Ennis 20 to 30 nights every year, especially in cold weather, when there is very little wind.
"I am calling for action to tackle this- and more public awareness campaigns to highlight the dangers associated with smoky fuels.
"There should be better monitoring and an early warning system for residents especially those with health issues - not to go outside during these spikes", Mr Flynn added.
Clare County Council said that it issued over 300 letters last year to residents and fuel merchants informing them of their obligations under the regulations.
Since 2011, six fines have been issued by Clare County Council in relation to breaches of the regulations in Ennis and there has been no successful prosecution for non-compliance.
The Environmental Protection Agency said that particulate matter pollutant levels is of concern in Ennis and across Ireland.
"It is responsible for the most health impacts and decreased quality of life here and across the globe", it said.
The agency added that it is particularly problematic in villages, towns and cities because of the cumulative effect of numerous sources of the pollutant and the number of people exposed.
The EPA said that in 2020, 38 of the 67 monitoring stations in Ireland recorded PM values in excess of the World Health Organization air quality guidelines.
It has previously reported that air pollution is responsible for up to 1,300 premature deaths in Ireland every year.
Mr O'Dowd said that over 9,000 people have died due to health reasons associated with polluted air from smoky fuels and he said that local authorities are not doing enough to enforce the regulations.
"People's lives are at stake here and the local authorities need to take these regulations seriously and enforce them", he added.
Localised spikes
In a statement the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications said "overall the level of compliance with the current regulations is good, however, there are localised and weather dependent spikes in pollution far in excess of acceptable limits".
It said that initial funding of €1.2 million is being made available this year to local authorities to help with the enforcement of the regulations.
The department added: "The elevated levels of PM2.5 illustrate, again, that further action is needed to tackle this harmful pollutant.
"To this end, the department is progressing the measures announced by the minister in September 2021 – to further regulate the sale, marketing, distribution and use of solid fuels for domestic heating in Ireland."
"New emissions standards will be introduced across a range of fuels to ensure that the most polluting will no longer be available for sale on the Irish market".
The new emissions standards are expected to come into effect later this year.
