Sir, – I have lived with asthma for 35 years; and each time I go to the cinema, I have an asthma attack. I write this letter at 2.30am, unable to sleep or breath after returning home from the local cinema (11.30pm). My asthma is triggered by cats and research indicates that cinema seats could trigger wheezing in asthma sufferers because they are packed with allergens spread from cat fur brought in by cat owners on their clothes.

Cinema managers/owners must be aware of the issue and yet there are no safety warnings in cinemas that I am aware of. As an adult, I know the procedure to follow during an asthma attack. However children in a cinema may not have the capacity to act as quickly, or their parents may not think to pack an inhaler when bringing them to a movie.

If this is a known issue with cinema seats why is there no health warning at cinemas to protect the 500,000 people in Ireland with some form of asthma? – Yours, etc,