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Fires caused smoke pollution in Moscow that topped pollution from factories — university

It is noted that smoke started to appear in the city on August 15

MOSCOW, August 24. /TASS/. The content of black carbon, a pollutant emitted during forest fires, was so high in Moscow air in recent hours that it topped the pollution from vehicle exhaust and industrial emissions, data from Moscow State University showed.

The phenomenon, which is "unique for Moscow," lasted from August 21 to noon of August 22, the university’s geography department said in a statement. It said the concentration of black carbon in Moscow air "considerably surpassed" the content of emissions from vehicles and industrial enterprises during that time.

The amount of smoke in the air is measured by equipment that’s located at the university’s meteorological observatory. Smoke started to appear in the city on August 15.

The first forest fire in the Ryazan Region, which is bordering the area around Moscow, broke out on August 7 and fires there have been spreading ever since.

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