Results will inform the public on health, transport and heating
Simple tests to gauge the Island's air quality cost less than £100, according to an MHK who has taken it upon himself to conduct his own monitoring.
Member for Douglas North Ralph Peake, along with Middle MHK Bill Shimmins and Bill Henderson MLC, circulated a letter to all political members yesterday revealing the cost of carrying out the tests was well below those quoted by the environment minister.
In last week's Tynwald sitting, Mr Peake urged Mr Boot to 'take leadership' and carry out pollution monitoring as often as every six months.
In response, the environment minister said any more frequent testing could cost the department up to £100,000.
However, after undertaking the investigation along with his two Tynwald colleagues, Mr Peake says this is simply not the case.
'Sweet mountain air'
Along with quoting the national anthem and drawing from his own personal experiences of pollution, Mr Boot came under fire for having 'an absence of regular data' in this month's Tynwald.
Results from 'snapshot' monitoring carried out by DEFA in 2018 at what he called 'choke zones' such as Lord Street and the Quarterbridge, revealed the air quality to be well within the limits set out by the EU.
Mr Boot says his department could not justify such an expense on regular pollution measuring and would rather divert those funds to lower the Island's overall CO2 emmissions.
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