Green Limerick: Calls for city residents to volunteer in ‘free and exciting’ science project

RESIDENTS of Limerick city are invited to pre-register for a free science project which tests levels of toxic gas in the air.

The project, led by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), will see local people taking the reins and test how much nitrous oxide (NO2) is in the air in their area.

Air pollution is a common issue nowadays with congestion in built-up city areas, with Limerick being no exception.

It is a free project, with the EPA teaming up with Limerick City and County Council (LCCC) to get definitive answers on how much toxic gas is lingering in the air and get clarity on how much residents may be consuming.

Clean Air Together Limerick City will launch on Wednesday, August 21.

NO2, otherwise known as ‘laughing gas’, is dangerous and if too much is consumed, fatal. It is predominantly a traffic-related air pollutant.

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While extreme levels would need to be inhaled for serious side effects to be seen, it may still have an impact on one’s health over time, particularly in children, people with pre-existing heart and lung conditions, outdoor workers and the elderly.

“Air quality in Ireland is generally good and compares favourably with many of our European neighbours, however, there are concerning localised issues which lead to poor air quality,” the EPA says.

The first Clean Air Together campaign took place in October-November 2021 where approximately 1,000 citizens across Dublin successfully measured NO2 near their home, business, or school.

The second Clean Air Together campaign took place in October 2022 in Cork, with over 700 participants measuring NO2 at their chosen locations and the third phase took place in October-November 2023 with over 300 participants in Galway.

Now, it is coming to Limerick and aims to create a better understanding of NO2 air pollution.

In total, over 3,500 residents have applied to participate in the Clean Air Together projects to date.

This huge level of public interest and the volume of results points to a public willingness to participate in citizen science and illustrates the success of the initiative.

The hope is that Limerick residents will embrace this opportunity to better understand and acknowledge air quality with this citizen science project.

LCCC currently has installed three air quality monitors in the metropolitan area of Limerick to provide live indicative air quality data to the public.

These monitors are located in Limerick City, at Mungret and Castletroy. They measure particulate matter (PM) which is commonly used as an indicator of dust particles in air.

“Chronic exposure to harmful air particles contributes to the risk of developing cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, as well as lung cancer,” LCCC says.

“Despite our monitored air quality being within EU limit values, in our larger urban areas we face potential exceedances of NO2 limit values unless we reduce our dependence on cars.”

The EU CAFE (Clean Air for Europe) directive sets air quality standards for Europe and has been transposed into Irish legislation by the Air Quality Standards Regulations.

In May 2024, the NO2 levels in Limerick, according to all three monitor locations, read that there was 20 µg/m3 in O’Connell St, 12 µg/m3 in Castletroy and in Mungret, the monitor read 10 µg/m3.

Notably the highest figure was O’Connell St due to active levels of combustion in the city, primarily from traffic.

The EU CAFE directive annual mean guideline is 40 µg/m3, while the WHO annual limit is only 10µg/m3.