Wanted: 1,000 citizen scientists to help monitor Cork's air quality
Clean Air Together Cork City is now live and people can apply for a test kit to record levels of harmful Nitrogen Dioxide in their area.
A new citizen science air monitoring project, Clean Air Together Cork City, was launched yesterday at The Firkin Crane, with Lord Mayor Deirdre Forde referencing her own lifelong struggle with asthma while highlighting the benefits of the project.
Following the success of the Clean Air Together Dublin project, which sought 1,000 participants but which ended up with 2,500 citizen scientists participating, Clean Air Together Cork City is looking for 1,000 citizen scientists in Cork to measure levels of Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) in their area.
The results of the sampling will be included in an interactive map that will highlight air quality and that project partners An Taisce and the EPA hope will influence people’s transport and lifestyle choices.
Pollutant gas Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) is created by traffic emissions, home heating, power stations and the use of nitrogen fertilisers in farming. It causes irritation of the airways and worsens lung function and may be linked childhood asthma, according to recent research.
Launching the project at the Firkin Crane on Monday, Lord Mayor Cllr Deirdre Forde said her own experiences with asthma made her realise how potentially life-saving the benefits of clean air could be to a city.
“Speaking as someone who is an asthmatic, I cannot understand why people aren’t invested in trying to improve air quality,” Cllr Forde said.
Citizen science that can “save lives”
“This citizen science project is probably going to save lives or contribute to better, healthier lives in the future. The thousand that participate will go and tell another thousand and that’s the way to spread the word, because if you can’t get to people, you’re fighting a losing battle.”
Clean Air Together Project Manager Sabrina Moore, from An Taisce, said that as well as gathering important data for EPA scientists, the Clean Air Together project aimed to raise awareness.
“It’s to try to get people talking about the quality, or lack of quality, of the air we breathe and to create a sense of curiosity: what it the air quality at my door?” Ms Moore told Tripe + Drisheen.
“People will see a map, not only of their home but also where family members live. In the future, you’ll have forecasts, just like you have for the weather, that will be available in any area.”
Applicants chosen to take part in the sampling will be posted out a measuring tube to install at their chosen location from October 3 to October 27. Samples will then be couriered to a specialist UK laboratory called Gradko: Ms Moore said there was no laboratory in Ireland that could handle the Nitrogen Dioxide testing.
“We’d love to work with an Irish partner but it doesn’t exist,” she said.
As well as awareness-raising, the value of the samples taken by volunteers would be of real scientific value and demonstrates how citizen science can help shape our world, EPA Programme Manager Andy Fanning said.
“Citizen science teaches the citizens about the science and teaches the scientists about the citizens and what’s important to them,” Mr Fanning said. “It gives you data that you can use to inform policy. We’ll use this information with Cork City Council to inform actions that they can take, but also decisions that individuals can take.”
Rivalry between the Rebel city and the capital could be harnessed to good effect for the project, Mr Fanning joked, saying he hoped sign-up rates in Cork would be as positive as they had been in Dublin.
“In this case, you want lower rates of NO2 than they have in Dublin, though,” he said. “We will be able to compare the results from Dublin with the results from Cork.”
Anyone interested in taking part and applying for a testing kit can visit the Clean Air Together website.