An abnormally high concentration of dust particles in the air was measured Wednesday in 14 cities in Bulgaria, the country's executive environmental agency has alarmed.

The Bulgarian Executive Environment Agency reported high pollution levels in Blagoevgrad, Burgas, Varna, Gorna Oryahovitsa, Vratsa, Pernik, Pleven, Lovech, Plovdiv, Ruse, Smolyan, Sofia, Dimitrovgrad and Kurdzhali.

The levels of dust particles exceeded the average daily rate by 1.02-3.78 times. The highest concentration of dust was reported in the capital city of Sofia.

Experts have attributed the abnormally high pollution levels in Bulgaria to domestic heating, thermal power plants, fog, road traffic and industrial emissions.

The international ecological organization Greenpeace has released a report earlier in 2013, according to which the highest air pollution with sulfur dioxide and fine dust particles per produced kWh of electricity in Europe has been registered in Bulgaria.

According to the report, over 2 000 people in Bulgaria die prematurely due to air pollution from Thermal Power Plants (TPPs). The number of victims of TPP coal burning exceeds four times the number of traffic fatalities in the country. Over 3 000 adults and 2 600 children suffer from respiratory diseases, and another 3 700 experience reduced job performance.

Greenpeace warned about an increase in the number of people with cancer in the region of Stara Zagora in recent years, which is designated in the report as the most problematic spot.

We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!