The acceleration in industrial growth which occurred in Ireland in the 1970s, the virtual cessation of
emigration which it enabled for a time, and the.consequent increase in population in the Dublin region
which resulted, ushered in problems of pollution and environmental degradation which had not
previously been of serious concern. Among the most intractable of these has been that of smoke
pollution in Dublin city, a problem further exacerbated by changes in fuel prices and preferences
occurring during the late 1970s and 1980s. Though deterioration in air quality was linked in several
studies to mortality and morbidity in the city from respiratory and cardiovascular causes, progress in
controlling domestic smoke emissions has been limited by political inertia and opposition from
commercial interests. The radical decision to ban bituminous coal sales within a designated area from
1st October 1990 has however transformed the situation, and renders compliance likely with EC
mandatory limits by the target date of April 1993. This paper charts the turnaround in Dublin air quality
and models the meteorological and emission conditions necessary to attain the stricter winter guide
values of Directive 80/779
