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Active Travel monitoring air quality across the metropolitan area through a series of N02 (nitrogen dioxide) diffusion tubes Active Travel monitoring air quality across the metropolitan area through a series of N02 (nitrogen dioxide) diffusion tubes

Environment

Active Travel to begin monitoring air quality in 15 locations across Limerick

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1 year ago

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Active Travel monitoring air quality in 15 locations across Limerick. Senior Executive Engineers with the Active Travel team in Limerick City & County Council, Sinead Kennedy and Dan Slavin, at the installation of nitrogen dioxide tubes across 15 different areas of Limerick City which will monitor the air quality. Pic: Don Moloney

Limerick City and County Council’s Active Travel team is setting up a programme to monitor air quality across the metropolitan area

Active Travel monitoring air quality across the metropolitan area through a series of N02 (nitrogen dioxide) diffusion tubes
Active Travel monitoring air quality across the metropolitan area through a series of N02 (nitrogen dioxide) diffusion tubes. Pic: Don Moloney

A series of N02 (nitrogen dioxide) diffusion tubes are to be installed at 15 locations where Active Travel schemes are yet to be constructed, to allow air quality to be established and compared.

N02 is a pollutant that is emitted in ambient air when petrol or diesel is burned in internal combustion engines.

The Active Travel team is to monitor N02 levels at some locations previously assessed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), where it ties in with upcoming Active Travel projects, to build on the existing records in each area.


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The installation of the devices is to take place in the following locations: Ballycummin Road, R510 Quinn’s Cross to Raheen, Fr. Russell Road, Dooradoyle Road, Childers Road (West), Childers Road (East), Plassey Park Road, Corbally Road, Mill Road, Milk Market, Bellefield, Ennis Road (Lawn Tennis Club), Ennis Road (Gaelic Grounds), TUS Moylish, Old Cratloe Road.

The device consists of 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 is proportional to the concentration of N02 in the air.

Senior Executive Engineer with Limerick City & County Council’s Active Travel team, Sinead Kennedy, commented: “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 level 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 initiative will initially be carried out for a period of twelve months.

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