Tackle wood burning and road traffic to improve Europe’s air quality, study finds

Scientists found particle pollution tended to be worse in winter, when there is a higher level of domestic wood burning. Photograph: deadlyphoto.com/Alamy

An international study, published in the journal Nature, has found cutting pollution from road traffic and wood burning may be the most effective way to reduce the harm from air pollution across Europe.

Rather than just looking at the amount of particle pollution in the air, the research team looked at its toxicity, by measuring the way air pollution samples depleted the natural defences in our lungs. To do this, they collected more than 11,000 pollution samples on filters and placed them, one-by one, into artificial samples of the fluid that lines our lungs. This measurement is called oxidative potential (OP).