Air Pollution Behind Nearly 14 Percent of Natural Deaths in Iran

Iran’s Ministry of Health has attributed a staggering 13.9 percent of all natural deaths in the country to air pollution. 

"Tehran ranks 19th among the world's worst capitals in terms of concentration of suspended particles," Abbas Shahsavani, who heads the ministry's air health and climate change group, told Tasnim news agency on January 16.

According to him, the average concentration of suspended particles in Iran is “7.6 times higher” than the World Health Organization's guideline and "more than three times the national standard."

The official said that Tehran experienced in 2023 as many as 107 days of “unhealthy” air for sensitive populations and 36 days of “unhealthy air for all groups.”

Decades of misguided environmental policies have contributed to the air-pollution crisis in Iran.

Recently, Iranians took to the streets of multiple Iranian cities to protest the use of mazut, a low-quality heavy fuel oil, in power plants and other factories, especially when natural gas shortages hit during the hard winter months.