EDITOR – Oxygen. It gives us life. And the quality of the air that we breathe plays a crucial role in maintaining our lung health and preventing a multitude of respiratory conditions.
As we approach World Lung Day on Wednesday, September 25th, it is important to reflect on latest figures that highlight the severity of lung health issues in our society.
Nearly 2,700 people are diagnosed with lung cancer each year, and an estimated 380,000 people are living with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).
Additionally, around 450,000 people are living with doctor-diagnosed asthma.
Indeed, exposure to air pollution is responsible for some 1,400 premature deaths annually in Ireland, more than seven times the number of people who died on our roads in 2023.
Against this concerning backdrop, the Irish Thoracic Society, Ireland’s national body representing health professionals in respiratory care, is highlighting the importance of breathing clean air.
I would encourage everyone to ensure their homes are well-ventilated, especially after cooking, vacuuming or cleaning.
If you are inhaling dusts, gases or fumes at work, think about how this can be reduced or eliminated.
Equally, it’s important to exercise daily, but ideally away from traffic pollution. I would also encourage exploring alternatives to driving to work, such as public transport or car-sharing, if at all possible.
For those who smoke, the most important step that you can take to breathe clean air is to quit. Free support is available from the HSE stop-smoking services.
With at least 250 carcinogenic or toxic chemicals, you will also be cleaning up the air for people around you who don’t smoke, and who would otherwise be affected by second-hand smoke.
Finally, it is important to be vigilant about symptoms such as a persistent cough for three months or longer, shortness of breath and wheeze, and recurrent chest infection.
I would encourage you to make an appointment to visit your GP if you are experiencing these symptoms.
By taking proactive steps to ensure the air that we breathe is as clean as possible, we can protect our lungs and overall health.
For more tips on breathing clean air, visit www.irishthoracicsociety.com
Professor Marcus Kennedy,
President Irish Thoracic Society,
51 Bracken Road,
Sandyford Business Park,
Dublin 18.
State failed to protect its most vulnerable
EDITOR – The sheer scale of the alleged abuse described in the report into Historical Sexual Abuse is breathtaking, with 2,395 allegations at schools run by religious orders.
This should warrant a criminal investigation immediately. It is another shameful chapter in our State’s history, failing to protect the most vulnerable: the children of our nation.
The Government must find redress for all these people as a matter of urgency.
Noel Harrington, Kinsale.
Faceless bureaucrats should be accountable
EDITOR – I find it disturbing that a Junior Cert school book presenting a course that aims at promoting inclusion, has had a cartoon and write-up depicting traditional Irish families as boring, wearing Aran jumpers, knowing nothing of the world outside their immediate surroundings or non-GAA sports, who eat bacon and cabbage every day. It sounds laughable.
After a storm of parental protest and media mockery this page was removed from the book. But how did it get there in the first place? Was it okayed by the NCCA, Departmentt of Education officials, and the book publisher? What other misinformation and disinformation does their programme contain?
Could their attempt to write off ‘natives’ as unworthy of full parity-of-esteem, labelling us in effect as quaint curiosities to be sidelined in the new Ireland they are busy forging, be regarded as a form of hate speech?
I think that a public inquiry ought to be set up or are we to conclude that these unaccountable, faceless bureaucrats, who hate everything distinctive about us as a people are beyond reproach? The words come to mind: ‘To learn who is really ruling you, simply see who is never criticised.’
Gearóid Duffy,
Lee Road,
Cork.
*****
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