Smog Threatens Public Health in Ahwaz

City officials distributed free masks in Ahwaz, southern Iran, on February 8 in a bid to protect citizens from the dangerous levels of dust particles in the air. Air pollution in Ahwaz is the worst in the world, and residents suffer from high levels of respiratory disease and cancers. Though the government has stated that dust clouds from Iraq are to blame for the pollution, locals say it is due to a combination of pollutants from heavy industry, the destruction of marshlands and vast sugar plantations in the region. Milk was also distributed to residents free of charge, in an effort to build up people’s immune systems.

Fars newsagancy