The Environmental Protection Agency has received a new mobile unit which will be used to monitor air pollution in cities and towns.
There has been some success in reducing levels of smoke and lead in Irish cities and towns in recent years. However, increases in other pollutant gases associated with traffic are causing concern.
New EU legislation, which designates the agency as the authority to assess and manage Irish air quality, requires detailed monitoring of sulphur dioxide; nitrogen dioxide, particulate matter (tiny dust particles, also known as PM10) and lead.
The £120,000 unit will be put on trial in Dublin before moving to other cities and towns. It will be at each site for about three months to build up an accurate picture.
The unit was "a highly significant development in air quality monitoring in Ireland", the Minister of State for the Environment, Mr Dan Wallace, said yesterday.