Research at Slovenian village finds particle pollution once air settles in valley reaches levels of the most polluted cities

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.