Clean Air Together involves members of the public and the business community measuring Galway’s air quality. 

It is a citizen science project where approximately 400 participants are recording levels of Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) pollution in their local area. Clean Air Together (Galway City) is an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) led project, in partnership with the Environmental Education Unit of An Taisce and Galway City Council. 

This will give us a better understanding of air pollution across Galway city and help to improve air quality in the future. 

For approximately a 4-week period during October 2023 – approximately 400 selected participants are measuring nitrogen dioxide (NO2) as follows: 

• Participants are installing a measurement tube outside their chosen location from the 2nd to the 26th of October.
• The tube will measure the NO2 levels over that period.  
• On the completion date, participants will take down their tube and post it back (in a self-addressed pre-paid envelope) to the laboratory for analysis.  
• Participants will get their results from us, and we’ll create an interactive map on this website displaying all the results to the public. 
• In early 2024, you will be able to see how Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) levels compare across Galway city. 

For full details on how to remove and return your measurement tube for analysis, please watch our short video above and follow the guidelines - Clean Air Together - Instructions to Measure NO₂

Measurement (Phase) - Approximately 400 citizen participants have measured the air pollutant, NO₂, in their area in Galway City.  

In early 2024, we will be displaying the results here on an interactive map so people can view how much NO2 was in their area during that 4-week period in October 2023. 

The data from Clean Air Together (Galway City) will be combined with air quality data from the EPA’s monitoring network to give a bigger and better picture of air quality in Galway City.  

These data points will be used to check EPA air quality computer models. These computer models will help to better understand air quality in Galway.   

The project aims to increase awareness of air quality, inform and affect policy and change attitudes to air quality issues.  The project also aims to encourage behavioural change that will lead to better air quality for us all. 

 

Nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) is a pollutant gas that mainly comes from vehicle traffic. You can find out more about it on our page – Why is Air Quality Important?

Being exposed to NO₂ gas, even just for short periods, can have harmful effects on our health and wellbeing. EPA monitoring and computer modelling show that in some urban areas NO₂ pollution is increasing. It will be important to remain vigilant to increasing NO₂ levels, particularly from transport in urban centres when the economy grows. 

Air is of huge importance to life in all its forms. When we breathe, we absorb a lot of what is in the air into our bodies. In general, the more particles or gases in the air we breathe that are unhealthy for us (called pollutants), the unhealthier we are. If we want to stay healthy, we must ensure we have air that is as free from pollutants as possible. The less pollutants in the air the better our air quality. While progress has been made in making our air cleaner, much more needs to be done to improve our air quality. Poor air quality is responsible for significant public health impacts and environmental damage. So, making our air cleaner really matters.

 

Where do pollutants in the air come from?

While natural events may affect air quality, day-to-day human activities have a greater impact. In Ireland emissions from:

• Home heating
• Transport
• Agriculture and
• Energy generation

all contribute to poorer air quality throughout the year.

 

Air quality in Ireland is generally good, however, there are concerning localised issues that are impacting negatively on the air we breathe. The levels of fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) mainly from burning solid fuel in our homes, and nitrogen dioxide (NO₂­) mainly from road transport, remain the main threats to good air quality. 

In Ireland the levels of PM_2.5 and NO₂ are within the current EU legal limits, however these pollutants exceed the World Health Organisation (WHO) Air Quality guidelines (AQGs) for health. Meeting these AQGs will be a major challenge.   

All levels of air pollutants can do serious damage to our health. For example, currently, air pollution in Ireland leads to the premature death of three people, on average, a day. (More details of real-time air pollution data are available from the EPA at: Home | AirQuality.ie

The EPA measures air pollution regularly. It also uses computers to predict how much pollution there will be in the future. These show that in some urban areas NO2 pollution is increasing. There has been no exceedance of the EU limit value recorded in Galway city for this pollutant yet, however it will be important to remain vigilant to increasing NO2 levels. This is particularly the case in urban centres from transport when the economy grows.  Find out more on our page – What can you do?

 

How does poor air quality affect us?

Poor air quality has serious health implications. Those suffering from asthma and respiratory conditions are most affected. In the short term, it can cause temporary illnesses such as headaches, breathing difficulties or eye irritation. Over the long term, it can contribute to more serious illnesses such as:

• Stroke
• Heart disease
• Lung cancer
• Chronic and acute respiratory diseases including asthma.

Air pollution impacts our environment. It affects the quality of fresh water, soil, and ecosystems. .

In 2016, an EU wide analysis estimated that poor air quality was a factor in more than 400,000 premature deaths. In Ireland, poor air quality is estimated to be a factor in the premature deaths of 1,300 people due to poor air quality from fine particulate matter (PM_2.5). The World Health Organisation has described air pollution as the ‘single biggest environmental health risk’

 

If you care about your own, your family’s and your community’s health, then you should care about air quality

To ensure healthy air quality for all, we need to stop the ways our society creates air pollution. These changes need to come at every level of society for that to happen. Companies, governments, communities, individuals, all have a role to play. You can do your part in many ways. Here are some of them:

If you’re not a participant in the measurement part of the project, you can still follow the project, and tell others about it. You can learn more about what you can do for air quality and keep up to date with the project through this website. We will share all the results here when they are available. You can share our social media messaging in the footer section at the end, below. For Clean Air Together to work best, we need everyone to take actions together.

Government and industry policy can have a huge impact on the levels of pollution in the air. These policies can support:

• Clean public transport systems*
• More incentives for electric cars*
• Pedestrian and cycle-friendly networks*
• More energy-efficient buildings
• Restrictions on solid fuel use systems
• City or district heating
• Updating of old heating systems

* These are the main actions that will reduce NO₂ and other traffic related pollutants

Raise any concerns with your local public representative. This may help get their support for cleaner air and healthier communities.

• Change your travel behaviour, try to walk or cycle for shorter trips instead of using your car. This creates zero emissions and is steps towards a healthier lifestyle. Enquire with your company about; the Bike to Work scheme, safe and secure cycle parking and changing facilities at work.
• Consider public transport as a more sustainable alternative to the private car.
• Can you make your journeys using cleaner transport options? Could you consider an electric vehicle for your next purchase?
• Alter your driving habits and switching off your engine when the vehicle is stopped. This helps reduce NO2 emissions. It will also reduce the amount of pollution pedestrians and cyclists will breathe in.
• Support flexible working arrangements, such as home working. This helps reduce the number of vehicles on the road.

Is there an alternative way to heat your house than an open fire or stove? If you do use these, think about how you could be more efficient with the heat you have with these tips for heat efficiency.

There are plenty of ways for your house to contribute less to air pollution. There also SEAI grants that will help you to do this.

Tell others about what you have learned and what you have done. You can do this in many ways including through word of mouth, or through social and traditional media.

‘Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.’

Clean Air Together (Galway City) is an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) led project, in partnership with the Environmental Education Unit of An Taisce and Galway City Council.  

Many citizen science projects on air quality have been run all over the world. This project was inspired by an experiment called CurieuzeNeuzen (Curious Noses) in Belgium and over the last two years – Clean Air Together has taken place in both Dublin and Cork city. The Belgian project was the largest ever European Air Quality test. It was a fantastic success with impacts for society, science, policy and awareness in Flanders while in Dublin and Cork city – we were overwhelmed with the interest and success in Clean Air Together, receiving over 3,000 expressions of interest to participate in the project. We hope that we will have a similar success in Galway city. Find out more about the Belgian project at curieuzeneuzen.be/home-en/ 

By using people power to gain understanding of air quality we can make great progress in the challenges we face to improve the air we breathe. We can make Clean Air Together!