There is a correlation between air pollution generated by traffic and stroke admissions in Ireland, an Irish parliamentary committee has been told.
The research into air pollution and stroke incidence was conducted by Dr Colm Byrne of the Irish Doctors for the Environment.
Dr Byrne revealed the findings to The Joint Committee on Environment and Climate Action, with the government planning to have a million electrical vehicles on the road by 2030.
The researcher said: “Other researchers in Ireland have demonstrated similar effects on respiratory and cardiovascular diseases.
“This is in line with international studies that have demonstrated that there is no such thing as a safe level of air pollution and recent changes to WHO guidelines have reflected this reality.”
Dr Byrne noted that more than just tailpipe emissions were do blame for traffic pollution hazardous to human health.
Even electric cars produced harmful particulate matter through break pads and tyre wear, the expert said.
Dr Byrne added that noise pollution was also being increasingly recognised as a major contributor to cardiovascular disease, stroke and dementia.
Marguerite Sayers, executive director of customer solutions at state-owned energy company ESB, said:
“We need to see much more active travel and that’s including walking, cycling and indeed the increased use of public transport.
“However, there will likely be a strong residual desire for private car ownership, given the particular demographics of Ireland.
“Where this is the case there are huge advantages in terms of both air quality and emissions with those cars being electrically powered.”
Electricity will ‘play an ever-increasing role’ in powering freight and public transport, Sayers added.
Meanwhile, while more infrastructure will be needed if Ireland is to meet its target, she said.
Sayers said: “The number of charging sessions on our system has tripled since the beginning of 2021.
“It’s now typically about 70,000 sessions per month.”
A 2016 study published in Lancet Neurology found that air pollution was responsible nearly a third of the years of healthy life lost to stroke worldwide.
