Makeshift oil refineries a necessary evil for locals in north-east Syria, study finds

Toxic fumes and repiratory disease among hazards facing people reliant on informal processing plants for work and fuel

Black pools, long trenches and charred earth have become common sights in the fields of north-west Syria, signs of an informal oil economy that has developed during the war.

Despite damaging both the environment and health, up to 5,000 backyard oil refineries, crucial to the livelihoods of besieged Syrians, have cropped up in recent years, identified through satellite imagery in a report by open source investigators Bellingcat.