Air you getting involved?
Several agencies have come together to ask 1,000 people in Cork city to measure air pollution in their local area.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Environmental Education Unit of An Taisce launched the Clean Air Together (Cork City) Citizen Science project on Monday to gather new data on the quality of the air in Cork city.
This project follows the success of phase 1 of the Clean Air Together project, carried out in Dublin last year.
EPA Senior Scientist David Fenton said: “We are delighted to be bringing this exciting project to Cork city to measure nitrogen dioxide (NO2) - a major traffic pollutant which is known to be harmful. By taking part in this Clean Air Together project, you will measure NO2 is in your area and your measurement - together with all of the other data collected - will give us a detailed picture of air pollution in Cork city.
“Participation in the project is open to everyone who is a resident of Cork city. You can visit cleanairtogether.ie to find out more information and register as a participant.”
Once registered and selected, a pack which includes the tube together with simple instructions on how to install it will be posted to you. The aim is to get 1,000 participants in Cork city to install their tubes on Monday 3 October and leave them in place for approximately 4 weeks. The tube will measure the levels of nitrogen dioxide without you even knowing that it is there.
After approximately 4 weeks of measuring NO2 levels, the tube is posted back to the EPA, free of charge. The tube will be analysed, and results should be available in early 2023.
The Lord Mayor of Cork City Cllr Deirdre Forde said: “I am delighted to represent Cork City Council at the launch of this amazing Clean Air Together initiative, which highlights the importance of air quality in our city. This initiative also offers citizens the opportunity to directly engage in the collection of air quality information; thereby raising awareness of this matter and increasing community involvement in improving the quality of air that we breathe.”