First measures introduced on 12 March had no major impact on air pollution. But more severe travel restrictions from 28 March have led to reductions of 47% in average NO2 concentration and 32% for PM2.5 compared to previous years.
NO2 data is very consistent - check out the average diurnal profiles for Quarter 1 (Jan-Mar) in 2018, 2019 and 2020. Remarkably similar! Morning peak due to vehicle emissions, evening peak due to combination of vehicles and solid fuel burning
Now look at average NO2 for 1-14 April. 2018 and 2019 show the large morning peak, but the evening peak is much smaller than in Jan-Mar (less solid fuel burning). The profile for 2020 shows greatly reduced levels, with only a small traffic peak in the morning.
Average diurnal profiles for PM2.5 during Quarter 1 (Jan-Mar) in 2018, 2019 and 2020 are again remarkably similar! The large evening peak clearly shows that domestic solid fuel burning is by far the dominant source of particulate pollution in Cork city.
Average diurnal profiles for PM2.5 from 1-14 April show a much weaker evening peak than during Jan-Mar. Overall lower PM2.5 levels in 2020, but since there are multiple sources of PM, will need further analysis. Evening peak in 2020 indicates solid fuel burning is still going on.
These results are consistent with those recently reported by @EPAAirQuality@EPAIreland, where NO2 levels were reduced by up to 50% at various sites across the country.
We recognise that this is a simple, straightforward analysis of the data collected at one monitoring location in Ireland. But we do think that the data is representative and also instructive in highlighting #AirPollution sources and the impact of #COVIDー19 travel restrictions.
I put a CO2 monitor in the mesh pocket of my backpack during a short trip to #London last week.
Thread on the observations:
Note the traffic light colour scale:
Green = CO2 below 1000 ppm
Amber = C02 between 1000-1400 ppm
Red = CO2 over 1400 ppm
The highest readings were recorded during the Cork-Stansted return flights.
Typical "Batman Ears" profile obtained for both flights due to lack of ventilation during boarding & disembarking. @Ryanair - a CO2 reading of 4000 ppm is very unhealthy. Turn the ventilation on earlier!
Ventilation gradually improved on the @Stansted_Exp train once we got going and CO2 stayed in the green on the first underground trip.
But we quickly hit the red on the next @TfL underground trip - a crowded Northern line train to Camden Town.
New publication shows that the recommended minimum ventilation rate of 6 air changes per hour (ACH) for a 6 bed ward commonly found in hospitals across Ireland & UK could only be achieved by combining natural ventilation with HEPA filtration.
Values for effective ACH were obtained from the measured decay rates of respirable particles (< PM2.5) under different conditions.
Fully open windows alone delivered 4.5 ACH, while the HEPA air filter unit (AFU) alone delivered 4.8 ACH.
The combination delivered 11.2 ACH.
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There are thousands of wards like this across Ireland & UK that rely solely on natural ventilation.
It is highly unlikely the windows will be fully open during winter months, so it is clear that HEPA filters are needed to deliver the effective ACH required in these wards.
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The mask mandate was removed at the end of February 2022, but schools were advised to continue using infection prevention and control measures, such as ventilation.
Thread on the CO2 readings that I took during my four short flights with @KLM@KLM_EIR last week.
Remember, CO2 at 800 ppm means that 1% of the air you breathe in has been breathed out by others.
At 1200 ppm the rebreathed fraction is 2%.
At 2400 ppm it is 5%. #CovidCO2
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Flight 1 (Embraer 175 aircraft, 95% full):
~500 ppm in @CorkAirport
Shoots up to 2400 ppm while boarding, drops when air circulation kicks in.
Settles around 1900 ppm mid flight. Rises to 2500 ppm when disembarking.
RH ~30% on plane.
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Flight 2 (Boeing 737-700, 60-70% full).
Similar profile but levels much lower
on this bigger aircraft.
The air felt fresher and CO2 levels reflected that.
For the last 6 weeks I have been working with the Castle Hotel in Macroom @castleHmacroom on a CO2 monitoring & ventilation project.
Here is a (long!) thread on the very interesting results we obtained. #covidco2 1/
The Castle Hotel is a traditional family-run hotel. The building is old - last major refurbishment was in the early 2000s. Mechanical and natural ventilation are available in most areas. I was pleased to see that front doors are wide open throughout the day! 2/
The first step was to get the maintenance staff to complete the @HSA ventilation checklist. 3/ hsa.ie/eng/topics/cov…
Also, very pleased to report that the guidance incorporates a lot of the advice provided by The Expert Group on ventilation and COVID-19 which includes @Orla_Hegarty@IAQjones@MoyneFlu@MarieCoggins1@DrInaKelly1, myself and others.