asked the Minister for the Environment in respect of each year since 1980 if he will give details of (1) the number of days in which air quality in Cork fell short of EC standards and (2) the number of consecutive days in which air quality in Cork fell short of EC standards; and if he will make a statement on air quality analysis in Cork over the past eight years.
Written Answers. - Cork Air Quality.
82.
The limit values for smoke and sulphur dioxide contained in Directive 80/779/EEC and the associated air quality standards prescribed in the Air Pollution Act, 1987 (Air Quality Standards) Regulations, 1987 (S.I. No. 244 of 1987) are not so structured that a single daily value can by itself represent a breach of them. Instead, these standards involve the annual median and the 98 percentile of daily values obtained throughout the year, as well as the median of daily values obtained during the winter period. In addition, the directive and the regulations, require that certain daily concentrations of smoke and sulphur dioxide should not be exceeded for more than three consecutive days.
The standards for sulphur dioxide and smoke have been fully observed in Cork since the directive came into force in 1983.