Clean Air Together – UPDATE
Measuring Tube has now been removed and sent back for analysis – . Results are in and Huntstown has Clean Air ! our NO2 levels (ug/m3) were in the 10 -20 brackets which is good news.
Clean Air Together involves members of the public and the business community measuring Dublin’s air quality.
It is a citizen science project where approximately 1,200 participants are recording levels of Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) pollution in their local area. It is a joint project between the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Environmental Education Unit of An Taisce.
This will give us a better understanding of air pollution across Dublin and help to improve air quality in the future.
For a 4-week period during October/November – approximately 1,200 selected participants – one of which is in Huntstown will be measuring nitrogen dioxide (NO2) as follows:
- Participants are installing a measurement tube outside their chosen location from the 8th of October to the 5th of November.
- The tube will measure the average NO2levels over that period.
- Participants will get their results from us and we’ll create an interactive map on this website displaying all the results to the public.
- In early 2022, you will be able to see how Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) levels compare across Dublin.
Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) is an air pollutant that mainly comes from vehicle traffic. Being exposed to NO2, even for short periods, can have harmful effects on our health and wellbeing. EPA monitoring and computer modelling show that in some urban areas NO2 pollution is increasing. It will be important to remain vigilant to increasing NO2 levels, particularly from transport in urban centres when the economy grows. Air is of huge importance to life in all its forms. When we breathe, we absorb a lot of what is in the air into our bodies. In general, the more particles or gases in the air we breathe that are unhealthy for us (called pollutants), the unhealthier we are. If we want to stay healthy, we must ensure we have air that is as free from pollutants as possible. Ireland’s air quality currently is good, relative to other European Union (EU) Member States. Poor air quality has serious health implications. Children, the elderly and citizens suffering from asthma and respiratory conditions are most affected. In the short term, exposure to NO2 is linked to airway inflammation in healthy people and increased respiratory symptoms in asthmatics.
