New initiative launched to monitor air quality in Limerick
A NEW initiative has been launched which will see air quality being monitored at 15 locations across Limerick city.
Led by Limerick City and County Council’s Active Travel team, the project will see N02 (nitrogen dioxide) diffusion tubes being installed at locations where Active Travel schemes are yet to be constructed.
N02 is a pollutant that is emitted in ambient air when petrol or diesel is burned in internal combustion engines. These new diffusion tubes will allow air quality to be established and compared.
Commenting on the installation of the monitoring devices, Senior Executive Engineer with Limerick City & County Council’s Active Travel team, Sinead Kennedy, said: “The success of Active Travel schemes across Limerick and elsewhere can be measured in a number of different ways and air quality is a key component of that. We’re conducting this work to compare nitrogen dioxide levels in the air around Limerick city to norms across the European Union.
"This information will allow our citizens to make informed choices regarding the use of Active Travel infrastructure going forward.”
The Active Travel team is to monitor N02 levels at locations previously assessed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to build on the existing records in each area.
The installation of the devices is to take place at 15 locations - Ballycummin Road; R510 Quinn’s Cross to Raheen; Fr Russell Road; Dooradoyle Road; Childers Road (east and west); Plassey Park Road; Corbally Road; Mill Road, Corbally; Milk Market; Bellefield; Ennis Road (Limerick Lawn Tennis Club); Ennis Road (Gaelic Grounds); TUS Moylish and Old Cratloe Road.
The monitoring devices to be fitted have a small plastic tube filled with a chemical called triethanolamine, which reacts with N02 in the air to produce a yellow-brown compound.
The intensity of the colour reaction depends on the concentration of N02 in the air. The hope is that by identifying if there is poor air quality in a location, the team can combat air pollution going forward.
The initiative will initially be carried out for a period of twelve months.