Protecting Air Quality

Protecting Air Quality is part of the work of the Environment Directorate, whose main offices are at Inniscarra, County Cork.

Their work includes:

• Responding to air pollution complaints and incidents.
• Monitoring the City/County Low Smoke Zone - this work includes solid fuel inspections/sampling and enforcement.
• Licensing and monitoring of industrial emissions for specified activities under the Air Pollution Act, 1987 - see Industrial Air Monitoring Link below.
• Licensing of certain activities that involve the use of substances containing Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), e.g. dry cleaners, spray painters, and petrol service stations.
• Ambient dust monitoring of certain activities, e.g. quarries, building developments, and unloading of ship cargoes.
• Assessment of planning applications from an air pollution perspective and the monitoring of any air pollution conditions attached to planning permissions.
• Preparation of evidence for criminal and civil proceedings, oral hearings, and attendance as expert witnesses.

Registers of currently licensed operators are provided for Dry Cleaners, Vehicle Refinishers (pdf) and Petroleum Vapour Emission (pdf).

The charts below show the average particulate and gas readings collected by the monitoring stations in Cork County. Measurements are recorded at regular intervals throughout the day. Further information can be found at airquality.ie.