Iran\u2019s Deputy Health Minister Alireza Raisi said more than 170,000 people have gone to emergency wards since the start of December because of heart and respiratory problems caused by air pollution, describing the situation as a \u201cserious and widespread public health crisis.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDuring just one week, emergency departments nationwide recorded over 170,000 pollution-related visits,\u201d Raisi said on Tuesday, noting that cases had risen by 20 to 25 percent compared with normal levels. \u201cMost of these patients came from the 11 provinces with the highest pollution, showing the scale of the crisis,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Raisi said the Health Ministry estimates the annual health cost of pollution at about $17 billion, and that more than 59,000 people died last year from diseases linked to poor air quality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Citing World Health Organization data, Raisi said most Iranian cities suffer from dangerously high levels of pollutants. \u201cTehran had only 14 clean-air days last year, Isfahan 16, Mashhad 28, and Ahvaz just two,\u201d he said. \u201cThis means a large part of the population is exposed to hazardous air nearly all year.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He said particles smaller than 2.5 microns \u201center the bloodstream quickly and are proven causes of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and severe respiratory disorders.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tehran suffers record air pollution, Shargh reports<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The reformist daily Shargh said the current Iranian year, 1404, has been Tehran\u2019s worst for air pollution in at least two decades, with more than half of all days so far classified as polluted. \u201cIn no previous year have the data been this dark,\u201d wrote analyst Ali Pirhosseinlou in a Tuesday commentary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He said the number of \u201cacceptable\u201d air-quality days has dropped to about one-third of the year, while at least four days so far have seen daily air quality index readings above 200 \u2014 considered \u201cvery unhealthy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe situation is worse than at any time in the past two decades,\u201d Shargh wrote. \u201cThere is no plan to control the sources of pollution. No effort to renew diesel fleets, improve fuel quality, or reduce traffic. Instead, the municipality has restricted access to air-quality data.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The paper concluded: \u201cThis is not interpretation \u2013 it is reality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n