NO2 Levels in Cork Harbor, Ireland Analysis

NO2 Levels in Cork Harbor, Ireland

Analysis of NO2 Data from Cork Harbour, Ireland: 3/8/2008 -- 3/10/2008.

Due to a series of clean air acts enacted by the European Parliament, strict standards for common air pollutants have been established for member states.1 In response, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of Ireland has engaged in monitoring efforts at major industrial sites, including Cork Harbour, the second busiest port in Ireland. This report examines the nitrogen dioxide (NO2) data collected from March 8, 2008 to March 10, 2008 in Cork Harbour, Ireland.

At the time the data was collected, the hourly limit of human exposure to NO2 allowed by the European Council was 200 ug/m3.2 In 2001, a margin of error of 50% was permitted, but was scheduled to be reduced to zero by 2010. By 2008, this margin of error would have been 11.1% or no more than 222 ug.m3. Based on the data shown in Figure 2, this upper limit was not exceeded at any time. The highest value obtained was 100 ug.m3 and compared to the rest of the data, this value represents an unusually high reading for a single minute and probably represents an anomaly. The next highest reading was about 50 ug.m3, which is only 25% of the upper limit.