By Róise Collins
Letterkenny has recorded some of the poorest air quality in the country according to monitoring from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Saturday, January 4, saw the largest spike in dangerous pollutants such as particulate matter, which can increase the risk of health problems such as heart disease and asthma.
The main source of this pollutant is the burning of solid fuels such as coal, peat and wood.
The Donegal News yesterday spoke with Roni Hawe, Programme Manager in the EPA with responsibility for Environmental Monitoring and Surveillance.
She said the rise in particulate matter is because of a combination of factors including the drop in temperature in recent days which has led to a heavier reliance on solid fuel burning.
Ms Hawe said that the most important thing is that people stay warm in their homes.
“However, if solid fuel burning is your secondary heat source and you have an alternative heat source such as oil or gas or other alternatives, use them in the first instance and try to avoid solid fuel burning, especially when the air pollution index is high.”
The air quality monitoring station which is located behind the Donegal County Museum on the High Road in Letterkenny is one of 115 around the country.
They provide real-time monitoring, with hourly updates, and forecasting on the website airquality.ie.
Here you can see a colour coded map with an Air Quality Index for Health (AQIH) that ranges from one, which is coloured in green and denotes very good air quality, to 10, which is coloured purple and signifies very poor.
This is an important resource for everyone, but especially people who may be sensitive to poor air quality such as people with asthma and heart conditions.
For the most part, Letterkenny scores the top one mark, denoting good quality air.
However, on Saturday the town’s score was 8 and when checked yesterday afternoon (Sunday, January 5) the town’s score was at 7, which indicates poor air quality.
This is a very high reading considering Dublin City centre would normally measure at around 3 or 4 on the same metric.
In November, the Donegal News reported that last year Letterkenny had three days – January 7 and 9 and February 24, 2024 – where it scored 10 – the worst on the AQIH.
Ms Hawe encouraged people, especially those with health issues, to check the AQIH forecast if the cold weather continues and take whatever steps they can to protect their own health.
Related posts:
Receive quality journalism wherever you are, on any device. Keep up to date from the comfort of your own home with a digital subscription.
Any time | Any place | Anywhere
SUBSCRIBE TO CURRENT EDITION TODAY
and get access to our archive editions dating back to 2007(CLICK ON THE TITLE BELOW TO SUBSCRIBE)