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Sinead O'Brien

@sinebrien.bsky.social
288 followers 467 following 151 posts

This letter pretty much sums up my interests, which boil down to: clean air, seaweed, environmental protection, & not marginalising children. www.independent.ie/opinion/letters/…

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Reposted by Sinead O'Brien
Clean Air Advocacy Ireland @cleanairie.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
We are very saddened to learn of the death of Anthony Staines. He was a strong advocate and leader in public health and a major inspiration to us in advocating for clean air and indoor air sanitisation.
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Clean Air Advocacy Ireland @cleanairie.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
It's always a good time to #CleanTheAir as 'winter vomiting bugs' are now spreading even in summer months! Air filters & ventilation in public venues should be the standard by now. It is required by law under SI & HSA Code of Practice for Indoor Air Quality. www.irishtimes.com/health/your-...
irishtimes.com
What is norovirus and how has an outbreak closed a deluxe Co Westmeath hotel?
Dr Muiris Houston: Infection difficult to prevent, but following steps can help reduce spread
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Clean Air Advocacy Ireland @cleanairie.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Did you hear the good news? A recent landmark study has reported an amazing development demonstrating the real-world impacts clean air can have on people's lives. www.qmul.ac.uk/news/latest-...
London's ULEZ linked to improved lung growth in children graphics
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Clean Air Advocacy Ireland @cleanairie.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
Excellent advice on RTÉ authored by Dr. Asit Kumar Mishra at University College Cork. Now that the environmental impacts of climate change are being felt in real-time, we can no longer collectively ignore the damage & act like it's a threat for the distant future. www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2...
rte.ie
How wildfires impact our indoor air quality
In addition to the direct risk wildfires pose to life and property, they also impact the air that we are breathing in our homes
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Clean Air Advocacy Ireland @cleanairie.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
If venturing outside in such poor air quality, a well fitting respirator mask is recommended to protect your respiratory and vascular health in the short and long term. Children are particularly at risk due to their smaller lung size and more frequent breathing rate.
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Clean Air Advocacy Ireland @cleanairie.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
Thanks to an #AirAware member of the public in Cork City for submitting this video to us today, comparing outdoor PM2.5 levels to the PM2.5 levels in their home where they already practice air hygiene with HEPA air filters.
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Hannah Daly @hannahdaly.ie · 07/07/2026
The CSO has released data on metered electricity consumption for 2025. The extraordinary headline figures: - Electricity consumption from data centres grew by nearly 10% last year, and now accounts for 23% of Ireland's electricity demand.
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The Irish Times @irishtimes.com · 24/06/2026
Scale of defective concrete crisis ‘profoundly underestimated’, Dáil hears
irishtimes.com
Scale of defective concrete crisis ‘profoundly underestimated’, Dáil hears
‘Cowboy developers’ who used defective materials walked away ‘facing no consequences’, says Social Democrats TD
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Clean Air Advocacy Ireland @cleanairie.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
Similarly, PM2.5 which can originate from nearby buses or even craft supplies, is small enough to enter the bloodstream directly through the lungs, triggering inflammatory responses that hinder a student’s ability to focus. School management must anticipate these issues & assess & plan accordingly.
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Clean Air Advocacy Ireland @cleanairie.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
We celebrate @goaqs.bsky.social plan for Schools which is a global intervention to transform school environments from passive shelters to active health-protective zones. This strategy is based on stringent air quality standards being maintained at levels that protect the most Clinically Vulnerable.
Table by GO IAQS depicting limits for indoor gases and particulate matter. The recommended ceiling value for CO2 is 800 ppm.
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Clean Air Advocacy Ireland @cleanairie.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
Very excited to see the issue of Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) will be discussed at the European Parliament in June! Registration available here: synairg.eu/event/synair...
synairg.eu
SynAir-G Roundtable at the European Parliament on ‘Indoor Air Quality and Children: The Needed Leap Forward’ – Synair-G
Synair-G
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Eric Feigl-Ding @drericding.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
LET THIS SINK IN—the U.S. now has no confirmed CDC director, no FDA commissioner, no Surgeon General, an NIH director with no medical license, and the last Acting CDC Director was a George Bush speechwriter. In fact—the only doctor/scientist we have in the White House is… Dr Oz.
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Clean Air Advocacy Ireland @cleanairie.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
Huge congratulations to students & staff in Scoil Naomh Bríd in Muff, Co. Donegal on being the first school in Ireland to pilot the introduction of air filters in every classroom. It is inspiring to see what is possible when community leaders work together to make this pioneering vision a reality.
two children and 4 adults standing around a large white box (air filter) in fron tof a white backdrop with multicoloured artwork and a religious cross on the wall.A group of children in green uniforms gathering around a man with a bubble machine blowing bubbles in the air in a classroom.
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Clean Air Advocacy Ireland @cleanairie.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
As the world marked International Workers' Day on the 1st May, this article (www.irishtimes.com/health/your-... ) is a timely reminder of how poorly workers around the world and at home have been treated since the advent of SARS-CoV-2.
Screenshot of Irish Times Headline of article written by Dr. Muiris Houston, 'Evidence mounts that Long Covid is damaging the hearts if those affected - There are also increasing signs that the condition can disrupt the autonomic nervous system.'
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Clean Air Advocacy Ireland @cleanairie.bsky.social · 04/05/2026
Great to see Dr. Ciara Steele's letter published today about the clean air interventions that should be done systematically across healthcare settings, schools & public indoor spaces. www.irishtimes.com/opinion/lett...
Screenshot of letter in Irish Times available here: 
https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/letters/2026/05/04/pandemic-dissenters-closed-their-eyes-to-the-harrowing-evidence/
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Conor O'Mahony @conorom.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
This is a genuinely mindblowing combination. 1) Deliberately false information, 2) promoted in schools, 3) using public money, 4) in the service of private profits, 5) at the cost of our collapsing ecosystem.
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Eoin Lettice @eoinlettice.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
If primary school teachers (or anyone else) are looking for resources that are a little more...balanced...check out our Irish Tree Explorers Network pages: www.ucc.ie/en/tree-expl...
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Clean Air Advocacy Ireland @cleanairie.bsky.social · 10/04/2026
This exemplary CO2 monitor reading comes in from someone travelling through Dublin Airport who found that the ventilation was quite excellent in the lounge past the US pre-clearance hall. This is really positive to see. #FridayAirday
Image of CO2 monitor in airport lounge showing 519ppm
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Clean Air Advocacy Ireland @cleanairie.bsky.social · 10/04/2026
Have you ever wondered how clean the air is in a GP clinic? This comes in from a GP clinic where air quality is taken very seriously. It is great to see such excellent air quality in a space where people go when they're most vulnerable due to illness, infection or injury. #FridayAirday #CleanTheAir
Air Quality Monitor showing CO2 reading of 446ppm and an image of a white Air Filter beside it.
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Dr Noor Bari @njbbari3.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
A very long time ago, on Twitter, I said “If we feed it kids, it will learn to eat kids.” Paraphrased. And it has. #COVID19
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Sinead O'Brien @sinebrien.bsky.social · 03/04/2026
The inequalities children experience in terms of poor air quality in their classrooms is exacerbated by fact that so many children and young people have been unable to get a covid vaccine or boosters over the years due to confusing public health policy and ill informed parental ideology.
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MaskTogetherAmerica @togetherwemask.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
Dr Ciara Steele, a general practitioner who co-founded Clean Air Advocacy Ireland @cleanairie.bsky.social shares her recommendation on ways to reduce the risk of developing the onset and relapse of Long COVID? Watch #MaskTogetherAmerica LC Defense Series III. masktogetheramerica.org/blog/long-co...
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Joe Noonan @joenoonan.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
Most Western States prefer to ignore the implications of this for their continuing trade with Israel. Which Israel depends on.
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Joe Noonan @joenoonan.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
The EU continues to support Israel, heedless of the harm and regardless of the law.
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Anna Pringle @annapr.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
This is what our governments should be planning for. Ireland imports 80% of our food, instead of talking about ‘defence’ and energy security let’s do something about food security! #SpeirGorm
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Sinead O'Brien @sinebrien.bsky.social · 24/03/2026
This was the one page I had left dog-eared in Carl Zimmer's book 'Air-borne'. Although I must say, given the state of the world right now, I absolutely consent to wearing masks on political/personal/humanitarian grounds, but accept his argument that cleaning the air is the ultimate goal.
Image of page dog eared with the title 'Loch Raven' from Carl Zimmer's book 'Air-borne'.
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Clean Air Advocacy Ireland @cleanairie.bsky.social · 24/03/2026
Clean Air Advocacy Ireland supports #WorldTBDay. Tuberculosis prevention is not just about treatment. It is also about the air people breathe. Air pollution increases susceptibility to respiratory infections, worsening lung inflammation and affecting recovery outcomes.
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George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
The Israeli government is now doing to southern Lebanon what it has done to Gaza. Horror and death on an unimaginable scale. And still our governments supply weapons, intelligence and diplomatic support. #PartyToTheCrime
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Clean Air Advocacy Ireland @cleanairie.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
If you've ever wondered how cooking impacts the air quality in your kitchen, these two submissions for #FridayAirday both show how cooking dinner raises PM2.5 levels. The first image shows a significant rise in PM2.5 up to 262 µg/m³ and was taken in a kitchen using a gas hob.
Screenshot showing air quakity reading and PM2.5 reading of 262 262 µg/m³ Screenshot of air quality reading showing PM2.5 levels of 5 on the Air Quality Index
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The Uproot Project @uprootproject.bsky.social · 12/03/2026
"As the world watches the oil markets, a silent ecological collapse threatens livelihoods and the biodiversity of one of the world's most vital maritime corridors." Uprooter @rachelreports.bsky.social in her newsletter, The Confluence theconfluence.news/p/how-confli...
theconfluence.news
How conflict in the Strait of Hormuz is devastating local fisheries and ecosystems
As the world watches the oil markets, a silent ecological collapse threatens livelihoods and the biodiversity of one of the world's most vital maritime corridors.
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Jonathan Douglas PhD CPsych @jonathanconp.bsky.social · 07/03/2026
Babies with Covid are 7.25 times more likely to die than babies with RSV. And that’s only death—never mind the chronic impact that can result. Keep newborns out of public places, if you possibly can—and buy a HEPA filter for your daycare!
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CIDRAP @cidrap.bsky.social · 07/03/2026
Babies with COVID-19 develop more serious disease than those with RSV, US data reveal Children under 2 hospitalized for COVID-19 are more likely to die or become seriously ill than babies with RSV, according to a new study. www.cidrap.umn.edu/c...
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Joe Noonan @joenoonan.bsky.social · 07/03/2026
“Every child killed is the greatest war crime in the world. There is no ifs, ands, or buts about it, and no policy can force me to selectively condemn war crimes against children. That children are killed by bombs in the 21st century is humanity's greatest defeat.”
Mikaeil waves goodbye for the last time
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Julie Lam @msjulieslam.bsky.social · 02/03/2026
🚨LCDefense III 4:35pm Delphine Crespo @longcovidaragon.bsky.social 5:10pm Dr. Ciara Steele @cleanairie.bsky.social 5:45pm Elisa Perego PhD @elisaperego78.bsky.social 6:20pm Pamela Morrison @lcaireland.bsky.social 6:55pm Angela L. @lcawarenessint.bsky.social 7:35pm Devin Russell Long COVID Foundation
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Saoirse McHugh @saoirsemc.bsky.social · 25/02/2026
Did you know that homes pay twice as much for electricity as data centers do? It's good that that government are helping out the poor scrappy start ups like Amazon and Google 🥹 m.independent.ie/business/per...
m.independent.ie
‘It’s a slap in the face’ – Irish households are paying twice as much for electricity as data centres
Households in Ireland are paying almost twice as much for their electricity as data centres.
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David Roberts @volts.wtf · 22/02/2026
I feel this so strongly. Covid was a test of our moral integrity & decency -- *not just elites, but all of us* -- and we failed. I genuinely think one reason Covid has been memory-holed so hard, & so crusted w/ myths & conspiracy theories, is that on some level we know this & are ashamed.
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Dr. Lucky Tran @luckytran.com · 22/02/2026
“Meanwhile, when asked why she’s masking during chemo, Meg now says, “I’m training for the Olympics”.” It’s wild that masking in sports is sometimes more normalized than masking in medical settings.
Tess Finch Lees: From the Winter Olympics to Nasa, wearing masks is back – except when it comes to our hospitals
Despite mounting evidence on Covid’s harms, healthcare guidance is inadequate
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Chantzy @chantzy.bsky.social · 22/02/2026
I wasn't going to weigh in on this because there's a lot of other battles rn - but this part of the clip is important. This is the type of hubris from credentialed folks that we need to end. Airborne viruses don't care whether you have a PhD
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Clean Air Advocacy Ireland @cleanairie.bsky.social · 21/02/2026
Every life is worthy of protection from the spread of airborne pathogens, even if a medal or reaching space isn't on the line. #CleanAir #Speirgorm #WearAMask
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Clean Air Advocacy Ireland @cleanairie.bsky.social · 21/02/2026
Our public health systems and healthcare workers have access to the same medical and scientific evidence base as Olympians and astronauts. Respirators are a totally genius invention and should be celebrated and promoted, not disregarded by our health system. www.independent.ie/opinion/comm...
Screenshot of Headline from Irish Independent. "Tess Finch Lees: From the Winter Olympics to Nasa, wearing masks is back - except when it comes to our hospitals"

And photo of Man and Woman wearing orange jackets and white respirators in front of a man not wearing a respirator.
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Alan Garner @garnalan.bsky.social · 21/02/2026
“The Swedish team doctor said players were masked to prevent “infections coming in” Masking in hospitals, however, can result in a psych referral.“
archive.md
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Cosáin Climate @cosaingalway.bsky.social · 20/02/2026
“Rather than adopting regressive amendments Ireland should strengthen enforcement, monitoring capacity and meaningful access to information, public participation and access to justice, and support the work of environmental defenders while strengthening the rule of law and democracy.”
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Paul Price @swimsure.bsky.social · 20/02/2026
🇮🇪 Well worth a read for anyone interested in outside expert's view on environmental & climate issues on the island of Ireland: End of [visit to Ireland] Mission Statement, by Astrid Puentes Riaño, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment.
Highlighted text from p.2 of the End of Mission Statement at the conclusion of the country visit to Ireland, by Astrid Puentes Riaño, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment.

Text reads:
"Even though express recognition of the right to a healthy environment nationally is pending, Ireland has played an active role in advancing its international recognition, including through its support for UN resolutions recognizing this right. Also worth mentioning is that both the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women through General Comments have interpreted that the right to a healthy environment is fundamental and included in the human rights of children and women, respectively. I strongly recommend using these as interpretation criteria nationally.  The International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) advisory opinion on the Obligations of States with regards to climate change, rendered in July 20256 is key for clarifying and advancing Ireland’s obligations on climate change. It concludes that the human right to a healthy environment is a precondition for the enjoyment of all other human rights, including the right to life and health, and that the right to a healthy environment is a result of the interdependence between human rights and the environment. The ICJ also clarified that all States have the obligation under customary international law to protect the environment and the climate system, and thus, to implement effective actions to avoid harms, including transboundary ones, related to mitigation, adaptation and restoration. It highlights that States must act with strict due diligence in relation to the environment and the climate system, derived from the high risk that harm to it can imply.  Ireland’s upcoming Presidency of the Council of the EU (July–December 2026) presents a key opportunity to influence EU priorities on environmental,…
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Clean Air Advocacy Ireland @cleanairie.bsky.social · 20/02/2026
Last day to submit to Ireland's Clean Air Strategy here: ziply.pk/o7hDzg Our submission to the Public Consultation on Ireland's Clean Air Strategy is available here: www.cleanairadvocacyireland.org/clean-air-bl... #CleanAir #IndoorAirQuality #PublicHealth #Speirgorm
cleanairadvocacyireland.org
Clean Air, Strategy, Policy, Public Health, Indoor Air Quality, PM2.5, CO2, Ventilation, HEPA — Clean Air Advocacy Ireland
As most people spend 90% of their time indoors, we must consider and include our indoor environments as part of our environment when developing a National Clean Air Strategy.
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Clean Air Advocacy Ireland @cleanairie.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
Really positive to see indications of such good air quality in a public building, based on these relatively low CO2 readings of 710ppm. Now, for more public institutions like schools, hospitals & other workplaces to get the same treatment afforded to our public representatives! #CleanAir #Speirgorm
Report titled Clean Air, Healthier Ireland with aranet co2 monitor showing co2 levels at 710ppm.Aranet co2 monitor showing co2 at 710ppm indicating very good ventilation.
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Clean Air Advocacy Ireland @cleanairie.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
Congratulations to all the authors and organisations involved in the Climate and Health Alliance on the successful launch of their 'Clean Air, Healthier Ireland' position paper that took place in the Oireachtas yesterday. We were honoured to be invited to support this great initiative. #CleanAir
Group of representatives of Climate and Health Alliance and guests standing outside Leinster House Group of authors holding up their report outside. Denise Cahill, Marica Cassarino, Sean Owens, Clara Felberbauer,  Louise O'Leary, Sandra Green, Keith Ian Quintyne, Dean Venables and Mark Murphyslide display depicting how poor ambient air quality is responsible for almost 1700 premature deaths annually slide depicting how air quality is a social justice issue
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Esther @elhopkins.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
The same as for COVID and evidence on this was given in the Covid inquiry and many parents were fined for rightly protecting their children. The most medically vulnerable children in the UK are the least protected.
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Esther @elhopkins.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
@teamlabouruk.bsky.social Around 200 children have lost their lives up to 2026. It’s a shame the covid inquiry didn’t cover this period of time as no lessons seemingly have been learnt on child death and disability from long covid. Covid is vascular. Do you think children should be exposed to this?
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Jonathan Howard @joho.bsky.social · 16/02/2026
Should we let children catch Omicron? Restrictions in schools must never return
Allison Krug and Vinay Prasad
FEBRUARY 2, 2022
5 MINS
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