Professor Pascal McKeown:

Within the UN sustainable development goals, carbon-neutral policies and so on, we recognise that levels of PM2.5, that is, particulate matter, remain high and there is a direct correlation between the levels of pollution and the incidence of coronary heart disease. It causes some sort of inflammatory reaction within the walls of one’s arteries, accelerating the risk of atherosclerosis. Part of the European Union’s strategic plan is to consider air pollution and air quality and how they relate to the additional problems associated with smoking, vaping and so on.

The Deputy referred to social determinants of health. At our congress last week, we heard that there was something like a 14-year gap if someone was born into an area – the equivalent of an eircode – of high social deprivation compared with someone who was born into an area with limited social deprivation. It is a large societal issue for us and we need to address the social determinants of health. Someone’s life expectancy should not be determined by where he or she is born.