Scientists at NUI Galway have begun a three-year survey to investigate the impact of the dramatic increase in the volume of traffic on air quality in Irish cities. Traffic is a serious air pollutant in urban areas.
The survey, headed by Prof Gerard Jennings, of the air quality technology centre at the Department of experimental physics, will examine several factors, including the effect transport has on air quality.
Five sampling sites will be used, with two sampling locations in Dublin city - at College Street and the civic offices - and one in Cork city. A rural site in Co Galway and a coastal site on the east coast will also be used. The £411,000 project is part of the Environmental Research Programme 20002006 of the National Development Plan, which is being implemented by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Prof Jennings said the main aim would be to determine the principal sources of particulate matter (PM) emitted to urban air by obtaining the chemical composition of the air pollution particles.
Primary sources such as road traffic and industry, and secondary sources resulting from the chemical reaction of vehicle exhaust gases, will be identified. As urban pollution also comes from rural sources, it will be important to obtain the contribution of trans-boundary air pollution to urban levels.
"Time is running out for us to put our house in order in this regard," said Prof Jennings. "Compliance must be reached by 2005 with stringent air quality standards for aerosol particulate levels, laid down by the EU. These standards are measured in terms of mass concentration of particles smaller than 10 micrometres in diameter."
It is hoped to identify areas vulnerable to excesses of PM limits and to understand the causes of these excesses and their potential impact on air quality and health. A strong association has been found between sickness rates and increased PM levels in several studies in US cities.
