Clean Air Projects
Borrow a digital radon monitor from your Wexford library
Borrow a digital radon monitor from your Wexford library
Radon is a radioactive gas that causes lung cancer. You cannot see it, smell it or taste it. The reference level (or acceptable level) in homes is 200 Bq/m3 and a three month test using special detectors is required to get an accurate radon result.
To get an initial indication of radon levels or to check if a radon remediation system is working correctly a digital monitor may be borrowed from your local library in Cork and Wexford. A reading from a digital monitor is NOT a replacement for a three month test.
The EPA in collaboration with Wexford and Cork County Libraries have a loan scheme for digital radon monitors. Library members can borrow a monitor for 3 weeks in the same way as they borrow a book.
For further information, check out our brochure.
Clean Air Together
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Clean Air Together (CAT) is a citizen science project where people voluntarily sign up to measure levels of Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) pollution in their local area. NO2 is a traffic-related air pollutant that can cause negative health impacts. The project aims to create a better understanding of NO2 air pollution.
The fourth city of the project, Clean Air Together (Limerick City), is currently taking place with the Measurement Phase in October 2024 and the Results Phase expected to be published in early 2025.
Clean Air Together is led by the Environmental Protection Agency in partnership the Local Authority in the project area and logistical support from the Environmental Education Unit of An Taisce.
To date, the project has taken place in Dublin (2021/2022), Cork City (2022/2023) and Galway City (2023/2024) where over 2,000 citizens have successfully measured NO2 levels near their home, business or community premises.
GLOBE
The Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) Programme is an international science and education programme that provides school students with the opportunity to participate in citizen science.
GLOBE is managed by An Taisce in partnership with the EPA. Participating schools learn about air quality and the weather by making scientific measurements and using their data to carry out research.
Further details of GLOBE in Ireland are available from An Taisce and this video summarizes the programme.
The International GLOBE Learning Expedition was held in Killarney, Co. Kerry in 2018. Watch this short video to find out more.
RadoNorm
As part of the RadoNorm project, the Environmental Protection Agency, Wexford libraries and the Healthy Wexford group worked with citizen scientists within the Wexford community who found levels of radon in their homes above the reference level of 200Bq/m3 and had not remediated.
As a citizen scientist, they helped co-design and test a Do It Yourself (DIY) remediation toolkit working with the EPA and a radon remediation contractor. If you would like to learn more about this project, contact us at radon@epa.ie