The Air Quality Network of the Canary Islands’ Ministry of Ecological Transition and Energy of the Government, in the Directorate General of Ecological Transition and Climate Change Mitigation, has recently obtained accreditation from the National Accreditation Body (ENAC) as a testing laboratory for measuring environmental stations’ air pollutant levels set up by the Canary Islands Government.

Accreditation covers both sampling and measurements at environmental stations (fixed and mobile) as well as processing, treatment, and publishing that data on the web, becoming the first Air Quality Network of an autonomous community to accredit this second activity, so being the first to comprehensively accredit this service.

To pass ENAC’s assessment, the Canary Islands Air Quality Network had to demonstrate that it complies with the requirements of the international standard UNE-EN ISO/IEC 17025, and that it has the necessary technical competence for this activity, providing greater confidence in the air pollutant monitoring services. This accreditation implies that the Network has demonstrated it has suitably experienced personnel with the appropriate technical knowledge; possessing the necessary and suitable equipment and infrastructure to carry out its activities; applying valid and appropriate assessment methods and procedures; using techniques to assess the quality of the results; and clearly and accurately reporting the results of its activities.

The Canary Islands Air Quality Network accreditation includes eighteen fixed stations and a mobile measuring unit that enables the atmospheric pollutants levels present on the islands to be monitored and assessed. The advisor, Mariano H. Zapata, explains: "This accreditation granted by the Spanish National Accreditation Body will enable us to carry out precise monitoring of air pollution and phenomena such as haze." An accreditation that provides confidence "both in the measurements taken at the eighteen fixed stations and the mobile unit, which are used to control and assess the atmospheric pollutant levels present on the islands in accordance with current legislation.”