Léim ar aghaidh chuig an bpríomhábhar
Gnáthamharc

Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 8 Apr 1997

Vol. 477 No. 2

Written Answers - Smog Levels.

Noel Dempsey

Ceist:

123 Mr. Dempsey asked the Minister for the Environment the number of smog level recordings throughout the country since 1 January 1995; the affected locations and the level of smog on each occasion; and the measures, if any, he has to alleviate this situation. [8695/97]

The air quality limit values for sulphur dioxide and smoke (suspended particulates) specified in EC Directive 80/779/EEC have been adopted as the national air quality standards by the Air Pollution Act, 1987 (Air Quality Standards) Regulations, 1987. Air quality monitoring results indicate that there have been no exceedances of the relevant limit values since 1 January 1995.

In accordance with section 54 of the Air Pollution Act, 1987, monitoring is carried out where air pollution is likely to be greatest and where standards may be approached or exceeded. Monitoring for smoke levels is carried out at 64 mainly local authority managed sites covering the major urban areas of the country. Monitoring results for the 1996-97 heating season to date continue to demonstrate satisfactory air quality in all monitored areas, with no exceedances, or threatened exceedances of the statutory standards occurring.
In the case of tropospheric or ground-level ozone (sometimes referred to as "summertime smog") the population information threshold (180 microgrammes per cubic metre for the mean value over one hour) under Directive 92/72/EEC was exceeded on 13 occasions since 1 January 1995. Full particulars of the locations concerned and of the exceedances recorded are set out in the Environmental Protection Agency's report entitled Ozone Monitoring Results and EU Threshold Exceedances for Ireland in 1995, a copy of which is in the Oireachtas Library. I have recently made regulations, effective from 1 April 1997, which give statutory effect to the existing administrative procedures regarding the measurement, public information and reporting of tropospheric ozone by the Environmental Protection Agency, with the assistance of Met Éireann.
Barr
Roinn