The monitoring of air quality around the country is led by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the National Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Programme (AAMP).  As part of this programme, a national network of ambient air quality monitoring stations has been established from which both real-time and historical air quality data is available at all times. In addition, the EPA has established an Air Quality Index for Health (AQIH), based on a scale ranging from 1 (Good Air Quality) to 10 (Very Poor Air Quality). The index provides an indication as to whether current air quality in your area may have the potential to impact on human health.

The EPA, with the support of Kerry County Council, operates two permanent ambient air quality monitoring stations in County Kerry.  These stations, which are located at the Library Complex in Tralee and the ANAM Centre in Killarney, provide real-time data on particulate levels (PM_2.5 and PM₁₀).  A sample set of data for the station in Killarney is provided below:

In addition to the provision of real-time data, the EPA has expanded the programme to include Air Quality Forecast Maps, which predict daily air quality based on the Air Quality Index for Health for up to 3 days (today, tomorrow and the day after tomorrow). A sample forecast map is provided below:

All information relating to the ambient air quality monitoring programme, including the latest air quality data and the AQIH ratings for the monitoring sites in County Kerry is available on the EPA website, via the following link: www.airquality.ie.