Presentation given by Mr Pat Kenny at the 2015 Clean Air Conference, 28/09/15, Dublin

1. Air Quality – The National Picture
Patrick Kenny
National Ambient Air Quality Programme
Office Of Environmental Assessment
28th September 2015

2. Overview
o model Air quality -
• Zones and monitoring network
• Current trends in Ireland – 2014 report
• AQ Health Index
• Research
• EMEP network
 Radon
 Current and future developments –
• Air Incident Response Unit (AIRU)
• Citizen science
• Air quality monitoring programme
• Air quality model - forecasts

3. Air Quality - Zones and Monitoring Network
 CAFÉ Directive / 4th Daughter Directive
 The EPA is the Competent Authority for implementation
 Manages the national ambient monitoring network
 National Reference Laboratory (NRL) for air quality
 Pollutants monitored for;
 NO2 / NOx, SO2, PM2.5 / PM10, Ozone,
 Benzene, CO, PAH, Metals – As, Ni, Pb, Cd, Hg
 Four zones A,B, C and D

4. Air Quality - Zones and Monitoring Network
Air Quality monitoring zones in Ireland in 2014/15

5. Air Quality Zones and Monitoring Stations
Air quality monitoring sites in Ireland in 2014

6. Air Quality – current trends in Ireland
 2014 Air Quality Report published today
 Ireland continues to have comparatively good air quality
with no breaches of legal limit values recorded at any
monitoring stations in 2014
 Dioxin survey 2014
 Levels are in line with previous surveys and below
legislative limits
 WHO have developed guideline standards which are
stricter than EU values. Should these be adopted by the
EU, it would present a significant challenge

7. Air Quality – current trends in Ireland
 Particulate Matter levels are of concern –
 Implementation and enforcement of bituminous coal
ban
 Households / businesses should strive to switch
from solid fuel to cleaner alternatives if possible
 NO2 in trafficked areas a concern
 Smarter Travel – A Sustainable Transport Future
 National Emission Reduction Target (NERT) for PM2.5
 10% reduction by 2020

8. Black Smoke Concentrations in Major Urban Areas
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
85/86
86/87
87/88
88/89
89/90
90/91
91/92
92/93
93/94
94/95
95/96
96/97
97/98
98/99
99/00
00/01
01/02
02/03
03/04
04/05
05/06
06/07
07/08
08/09
09/10
10/11
11/12
µg/m3
Zone A Zone B Zone C
revoked 98 percentile limit value

9. Air Quality – current trends in Ireland – NO2
Trend in NO2 concentrations for zones in Ireland 2004 ‐ 2014

10. Air Quality – current trends in Ireland – PM10
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
AnnualMeanµg/m3
Zone A traffic
Zone A background
Zone B traffic
Zone C
Zone D
Annual limit value
WHO air quality guideline
Trend in PM10 concentrations for zones in Ireland 2004 - 2014

11. Air Quality – current trends in Ireland – Ozone
0
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
7000
8000
9000
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
AOT40(µg/m3).h
Galway remote
Monaghan remote
Laois regional
Kerry remote
Mayo near town
Long-term objective
Trend in ozone concentrations in Ireland 2004 - 2014

12. Air Quality – current trends in Ireland – PM2.5
Trend in PM2.5 concentrations in Ireland 2004 - 2014
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
AnnualMeanµg/m3
Coleraine St.
Rathmines
Marino
Cork
Ennis
Longford
Claremorris
Annual limit value
WHO guideline

13. Air Quality – current trends in Ireland - PAH
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
1.2
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
AnnualMeanng/m3
Zone A background
Zone A traffic
Zone B
Zone C
Zone D background
Trend in polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) – 2009 -2014

14. Air Quality – current trends in Ireland – SO2
0
5
10
15
20
25
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
AnnualMeanµg/m3
Zone A (traffic)
Zone A (background)
Zone B
Zone D
Vegetation annual limit value
Trend in SO2 concentrations for zones in Ireland 2004 - 2014

15. Air Quality – SO2
Holuhraun ice field in Iceland

16. Air Quality – NO2
Concentrations of NO2 in Ireland in 2012 with relation to other EU Member
States (source: EEA)

17. Air Quality – PM10
Concentrations of PM10 in Ireland in 2012 in relation to other EU
Member States (Source: EEA)

18. Air Quality – ozone
Concentrations of ozone in Ireland in 2012 in relation to other EU
Member States (Source: EEA)

19. Air Quality Index for Health – www.airquality.epa.ie

20. Air Quality Index for Health – www.airquality.epa.ie

21. Air Quality Index for Health – www.airquality.epa.ie

23. Additional Features of the Website

24. Summary of ongoing EPA funded air quality related projects
Project Title Organisation
2013-EH-FS-7 Development of a spatially- and temporally-resolved
emission inventory for Ireland
University of Dublin, Trinity
College (TCD)
2013-CCRP-FS.15 CRiMsON (Consolidation of IRelands Greenhouse Gas
and Transboundary MOnitoring Network)
National University of Ireland
Galway (NUIG)
2013-EH-MS-14 Assessment of the impact of ammonia emissions from
intensive agriculture installations on SACs and SPAs
University College Dublin
(UCD)
2013-EH-MS-15 Source Apportionment of Particulate Matter in Rural and
Urban Residential Areas (SAPPHIRE)
University College Cork (UCC)
CCRP-09-FS-4-2 Research support for integrated atmospheric studies at
Mace Head
National University of Ireland
Galway (NUIG)
2012-CCRP-MS.7 Critical Loads and Dynamic Soil-Vegetation Modelling Trent University

25. Summary of ongoing EPA funded air quality related projects
2012-CCRP-MS.8 Ammonia2—Baseline Ammonia Deposition Rates in
Ireland and Local impacts of Point Source Emissions
University College Dublin (UCD)
CCRP-09-FS-4-3 Research Support for Mace Head: Instrumentation, Data
Systems and Analysis
National University of Ireland
Galway (NUIG)
CCRP08Proj-4.1A Development of critical loads for Ireland Trent University
2010-AQ-MS-1 Evaluation of the effect of domestic solid fuel burning on
ambient air quality in Ireland
Dublin Institute of Technology
(DIT)
2012-EH-FS-6 Air quality modelling University of Dublin, Trinity
College (TCD)
2013-CCRP-MS.14 Integrated Modelling Project - GAINS Ireland APEnvEcon
2014-CCRP-MS.19 On-Line BioAerosol Sampling (OLBAS) University College Cork (UCC)
2014-CCRP-FS.20 Research Fellowship on Air Science University of Dublin, Trinity
College (TCD)

26. European Monitoring and Evaluation Programme (EMEP) Network

27. National Radiation Monitoring Network
 EPA continuously assesses
radioactivity in air at selected
permanent monitoring stations in the
NRMN
 Levels low & consistent with global
background levels
 Emergency response role – rapid,
nationwide assessment of airborne
contamination
 Trace levels from the Fukushima
nuclear accident measured March-
May 2011

28. Radon – The radon map of Ireland
Ireland - 89 Bq/m3
UK - 21 Bq/m3
Worldwide - 39 Bq/m3

29. Recent and Future Developments
 Air Incident Response Unit (AIRU)
 Citizen science
 Air quality webpages optimized for mobile devices such as
phones and tablets
Future Developments -
 Air quality monitoring programme
 Air quality model – forecasts
 Improved dashboard

30. Thank You
Thank You