00:00 A blanket of smog suffocates Italy's second city.
00:04 A mixture of fine particles and other pollutants which have pushed legal limits,
00:10 making Milan's air quality among the worst globally in February,
00:14 according to EU and Italian atmosphere monitors.
00:18 And residents can feel it too.
00:20 "It's not good.
00:23 There's too much traffic, too many emissions and you can't breathe well."
00:27 "The air quality in Milan is definitely, as it has been for a few years now, really bad,
00:35 especially in winter, except when there's a bit of wind that clears the air a bit."
00:42 Milan is located in the region of Lombardy,
00:45 which sits in a basin between mountains, meaning it is poorly ventilated.
00:50 But Italian environmental groups say the main factors behind the pollution
00:54 are vehicle emissions, the heating of homes and the agricultural sector.
00:59 The northern industrial region is home to many livestock farms
01:02 and almost a third of Italy's population.
01:06 The problem's been exacerbated by a lack of wind and rain,
01:09 and with forecasts indicating the smog won't lift any time soon,
01:13 Lombardy authorities have responded by barring heavy motor vehicles
01:17 from operating during the day
01:19 and imposing limits on heating and industrial agricultural activities.
