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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Environment
Gary Fuller

Wood heating could be worse than thought for rural air, study suggests

Countryside in Slovenia with mountains in background
Scientists said 70% of villagers believed air quality in their area was good despite pollution levels exceeding legal limits. Photograph: kud108/Alamy

We think of cities as the places with the worst air pollution, but studies are increasingly highlighting severe air pollution in rural towns and villages, mainly from wood heating. However, government measurement networks mainly focus on cities, overlooking the air breathed by the 20-30% of people in the UK and Europe that live in the countryside.

To plug this gap, a team of scientists moved to the village of Retje in Slovenia for the winter. Retje is home to 690 people, and located in a valley.

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