A permanent ambient air quality monitoring station is currently operational in Killarney town, local councillors have been assured.
In the event of site specific air quality issues potentially arising, particularly in circumstances where there may be impacts affecting the general public, the option of shorter term monitoring will be considered on a case by case basis, council officials have stressed.
The assurances were given to Cllr John O’Donoghue who asked that if concerns are raised about air quality, that the local authority would install monitoring systems to ascertain the cause and the impact.
It emerged earlier this year that Killarney was one of just 16 locations in the entire country where air pollution levels did not exceed a daily acceptable limit during a period of research.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) confirmed that a significant number of worrying levels were recorded in several towns – including Tralee – with concerns rising that householders may be increasing their use of dirty fuels during the energy crisis.
The EPA report confirmed that data from monitoring stations showed that air quality levels exceeded the recommended daily limit for particulate matter – known as PM10 – on 14 days in Tralee last year.
PM10 particles can be found in dust and smoke which come mainly from the burning of solid fuels, including coal, peat and timber.
It’s a big turnaround for Killarney as less than a decade ago the level of air pollution in the town during the dark nights of winter was recorded at an astonishing 10 times higher than readings taken during daylight hours.
Research conducted then by scientists in UCC saw Killarney selected to be monitored as it was not one of the original cities or towns included in the 1990 ban on the sale of smoky coal.
In many cases, air pollution levels, due to the burning of solid fuels, exceeded accepted EU limits and there had been reported links to respiratory diseases and cancer.
A ban on smoky coal was introduced in Killarney and in several other locations around the country in 2020.
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