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Living with 230 data centers on the doorstep: ‘Nobody warned us what was going to happen’ 

19 October 2026 at 12:55
Greg Pirio, a retired historian, at his home in Sterling, Virginia on October 9.

One of the factors that led Greg Pirio to buy his house in Loudoun County, in northern Virginia, 14 years ago, was the nature surrounding it. A historian specializing in Africa, he loved to take long walks with his dog and listen to the birds. Three years ago, a large data center was installed just a hundred meters from his door. Since it began operating a year and a half ago, the birdsong has been replaced by a constant buzzing together with fumes that cause headaches, conjunctivitis and respiratory problems.

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The eye protection Greg Pirio uses against the air pollution in the region.Machinery operates near the data center in Virginia.Vicky Hu in Ashburn, Virginia, on October 9. Vicky Hu’s garden protest, Ashburn.Real estate agent Vicky Hu at her home in Virginia on Oct. 9.
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