Air quality in Ireland: where to check and what to do

Short answer. Ireland's EPA publishes the Air Quality Index for Health (AQIH) on airquality.ie: a number from 1 to 10 for the monitoring station nearest you ¹. 1 to 3 is good, 4 to 6 fair, 7 to 9 poor and 10 very poor, each with health advice for everyone and for at-risk groups ¹. On poor days, people with lung or heart problems should reduce strenuous activity, particularly outdoors ¹.

Where can I check air quality right now?

On airquality.ie, the EPA's site. The AQIH tells you what the air quality currently is at the station nearest you and whether it might affect your health or your child's ¹. To know the index where you live, look at the station closest to your home ¹.

The EPA also gives a regional AQIH for six regions: Dublin, Cork, Munster, Leinster, Connaught and Ulster. When air quality at any station in a region drops to fair or worse, an automatic post goes out on the @epaairquality account ¹. How official warnings reach you is on our Ireland alerts page.

What do the index levels mean?

The AQIH is derived from five pollutants: ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, PM2.5 and PM10 ¹. For PM2.5 (24-hour mean), band 1 is 0-11 µg/m³ and band 10 is 71 µg/m³ or more ¹.

In the poor and very poor bands, the EPA adds that people with asthma may find they need their reliever inhaler more often ¹. See Air quality index explained.

How polluted is the air on average?

The population-weighted median of Irish cities shows about 7 µg/m³ of PM2.5 (annual mean 2021-2023) ², above the WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³ ⁴. Nitrogen dioxide is about 3.8 µg/m³ ³, below the WHO guideline of 10 µg/m³ ⁴. That NO2 figure is a regional background over roughly 80 km: a busy street will be higher.

What should I do on a bad air day, or with smoke or dust?

• Check the index first. Look at the AQIH of the station nearest you and follow the advice for your band ¹.
• If someone at home is at risk (lung or heart problems, older people, asthma), they should consider reducing strenuous activity outdoors from the fair band if they have symptoms, and avoid it in the very poor band ¹. See Sensitive people and polluted air and Children and polluted air.
• Smoke or dust: Phaenyx found no official Irish guidance specific to wildfire smoke or dust. See Wildfire smoke, A clean-air room at home, Masks for smoke and Dust storms.

A household plan can note who at home is sensitive to polluted air and where to stay on bad days.

Frequently asked questions

Does Ireland have its own air quality index?

Yes. The EPA's Air Quality Index for Health runs from 1 to 10, in four bands: good, fair, poor and very poor ¹.

What AQIH number means the air is good?

A reading of 1 to 3 inclusive means the air quality is good; 10 means very poor ¹.

Which pollutants does the AQIH use?

Ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, PM2.5 and PM10 ¹.

Where do I find the index for my town?

On airquality.ie, at the station closest to your home ¹.

Sources

1. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), AirQuality.ie — Air Quality Index for Health — https://airquality.ie/information/air-quality-index-for-health (accessed 2026-10-27)
2. Atmospheric Composition Analysis Group (ACAG), Washington University in St. Louis — Surface PM2.5, V6.GL.02.04 (annual mean 2021-2023) — https://sites.wustl.edu/acag/datasets/surface-pm2-5/ (accessed 2026-10-27)
3. Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) — CAMS global reanalysis (EAC4) — https://ads.atmosphere.copernicus.eu/ (accessed 2026-10-27)
4. World Health Organization (WHO) — WHO global air quality guidelines (2021) — https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240034228 (accessed 2026-10-27)