Cork has no air pollution monitoring stations in areas with pharma firms, says council

It comes after it was revealed that an air pollution monitor in Carrigaline has been broken for more than a year

A senior official confirmed that while there are two monitoring stations in Cobh, Co Cork there are none in either Little Island or nearby Carrigtwohill. File picture: David Creedon / Anzenberger

There are no local authority air pollution monitoring stations in the largest industrial area outside of Dublin, Cork County Council has admitted.

A senior official confirmed that while there are two monitoring stations in Cobh, Co Cork there are none in either Little Island or nearby Carrigtwohill. Both of these areas have a large number of pharmachem companies and other industries employing tens of thousands of people.

This latest admission comes after the local authority recently revealed that an air pollution monitor in Carrigaline, the largest town in the county, has been broken for more than a year and isn’t likely to be operational again until early next year.

A senior council official said there are two air monitoring stations in Cobh Municipal District area, both of which are located in Cobh town.

One of the town's monitors is located at the council’s own offices at Carrig House, and the other a short distance away at Carrignafoy, in the car park of the municipal-run leisure complex.

The information was provided to Labour councillor Cathal Rasmussen after he asked about monitoring in the municipal district.

“Considering the size of the municipal district and the number of companies both in Carrigtwohill and Little Island I was surprised to hear that we have no monitoring stations in either of them,” he said.

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Mr Rasmussen said he wants the lack of monitors referred to the council’s Environmental SPC (Special Purposes Committee) for further discussion. However, he added that he was pleased to hear the monitors in Cobh confirmed good air quality.

Fine Gael councillor Anthony Barry said he was shocked to learn there wasn’t a monitor in Little Island. Fianna Fáil councillor Dominic Finn also expressed surprise that there were none there and in Carrigtwohill.

Mr Barry said he could understand why two monitors were needed in Cobh when Irish Steel/Ispat and the IFI plants were in operation, but they have been closed for many years.

He questioned if there is a need for two monitors in Cobh which are located very close together, especially when there are none in the heavily industrialised areas in the municipal district.

“We need to have more monitoring to keep companies on their toes,” he said.

Fianna Fáil's Sheila O’Callaghan said there have been major shifts in industrial locations and populations in recent years and there should be “a serious countywide review” of where the pollution monitoring stations  are located.

“Cobh was once seriously industrialised. It no longer is whereas other locations are,” she said.

Municipal district officer Paraic Lynch said both pollution monitoring stations in Cobh continuously record sulphur dioxide levels.

He said that’s a common transport issue, especially with shipping. Cobh is the biggest port in Ireland for cruise ship visits with now more than 100 per year and thousands more vessels pass by the town every year on their way to and from the container port in Ringaskiddy.

There is also a monitoring station in Ringaskiddy which is maintained by the Port of Cork and overseen by the Environmental Protection Agency.