How ‘smog capital of Poland’ saved 6,000 lives by cutting soot levels

Krakow's ban on burning solid fuels plus subsidies for cleaner heating has led to clearer air and better health

As a child, Marcel Mazur had to hold his breath in parts of Krakow thick with so much smoke you could see and smell it". Now, as an allergy specialist at Jagiellonian University Medical College who treats patients struggling to breathe, he knows all too well the damage those toxic gases do inside the human body.

It's not that we have this feeling that nothing can be done. But it's difficult," Mazur said.