3. AIR QUALITY MONITORING IN CORK CITY
3.1 National Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Network Cork City Council works in partnership with the Environmental Protection Agency’s National Ambient Air Quality Network to operate its air monitoring system. This network consists of a series of air quality monitoring stations that are located across the country. These stations are termed reference air quality monitoring stations and are used for national reporting purposes. There are four air quality monitoring stations installed across Cork City Council’s functional area that provide live, continuous air quality data, monitoring the levels of parameters such as - Particulate Matter (PM), Nitrogen Dioxide (NO 2 ), Sulphur Dioxide (SO 2 ), Ozone (O 3 ), Benzo (a) Pyrene, Lead, Cadmium, Nickel and Arsenic. The EPA captures parameter data gathered from their monitoring stations and matches it to a defined set of values to create a standardised table of results. This set of values is used to form an Air Quality Index for Health (AQIH). The AQIH allows comparison for different pollutants with an easy to visualize colour scheme which goes from green (good air quality) to purple (poor air quality) and on to maroon (extremely hazardous). The AQIH has 10 points ranging from 1 to 10. These points are divided into four coloured bands:
» good (readings of 1-3), » fair (readings of 4-6), » poor (readings of 7-9), and » very poor (reading of 10).
The higher the number, the poorer the quality of the air. For example, an AQIH reading of 10 means that the air quality is very poor and a reading of 1, 2 or 3 means that the air quality is good. The Air Quality Index for Health is displayed below in Tables 3.1 and 3.2. The AQIH is based on measurements of five air pollutants all of which can harm health. The five pollutants are: » Ozone gas
» Nitrogen dioxide gas » Sulphur dioxide gas » Fine Particulate Matter (PM 2.5 ) particles » Particulate Matter (PM 10 ) particles.
13
Powered by FlippingBook