Air Pollution Prevention in Tehran
Ghazal Oshaghi ENVT 801 Research Paper
Air Pollution in Tehran
Air pollution has been a major issue in Tehran, the capital of Iran. Three articles have been summarized, which evaluates the causes of air pollution in Tehran, the health concerns, and explaining short-term and long-term remedies that the government of Iran has suggested.
Tehran has been listed as the top-ten air-polluted cities in the world in World Health Organization Report (Davidson, 2013). The population of Tehran is reaching 11 million, almost one sixth of the country’s population. Almost every single person above eighteen years of age owns a car. For many years, the air pollution was caused by the use of old vehicles, which counts for 70 to 80 percent of city’s air pollution, according to Yousef Rashidi, director of Tehran’s Air Quality Monitoring Services (Davidson, 2013). Now, almost all the old cars have been replaced with new ones and yet, the pollution is still there. After the sanctions on imports of refined gasoline, Iran is facing a shortage on fuel and in order to make up for the loss of imports, Iran is now producing low-quality gasoline, which contains Lead, Sulfur Dioxide, and Benzene (Erdbrink, 2013). The government denied that the pollution problem has anything to do with the locally produced gasoline. Instead, blaming the vehicle’s combustion system for the pollution (Davidson, 2013).
Tehran has reached its peak on pollution crisis. Last year, 4,460 people have died in the first nine months of last year due to the poor air quality. According to Aqajani, Iran's health minister advisor, the number of patients who have visited the city's hospitals with heart problems has increased by 30 percent (Davidson, 2013). Most patients who had checked in had severe headaches, irritation to throat and eyes, which are considered to be the short-term effects of the pollution. The long-term effects include chronic respiratory diseases, lung cancer,
Air Pollution in Tehran
Air pollution has been a major issue in Tehran, the capital of Iran. Three articles have been summarized, which evaluates the causes of air pollution in Tehran, the health concerns, and explaining short-term and long-term remedies that the government of Iran has suggested.
Tehran has been listed as the top-ten air-polluted cities in the world in World Health Organization Report (Davidson, 2013). The population of Tehran is reaching 11 million, almost one sixth of the country’s population. Almost every single person above eighteen years of age owns a car. For many years, the air pollution was caused by the use of old vehicles, which counts for 70 to 80 percent of city’s air pollution, according to Yousef Rashidi, director of Tehran’s Air Quality Monitoring Services (Davidson, 2013). Now, almost all the old cars have been replaced with new ones and yet, the pollution is still there. After the sanctions on imports of refined gasoline, Iran is facing a shortage on fuel and in order to make up for the loss of imports, Iran is now producing low-quality gasoline, which contains Lead, Sulfur Dioxide, and Benzene (Erdbrink, 2013). The government denied that the pollution problem has anything to do with the locally produced gasoline. Instead, blaming the vehicle’s combustion system for the pollution (Davidson, 2013).
Tehran has reached its peak on pollution crisis. Last year, 4,460 people have died in the first nine months of last year due to the poor air quality. According to Aqajani, Iran's health minister advisor, the number of patients who have visited the city's hospitals with heart problems has increased by 30 percent (Davidson, 2013). Most patients who had checked in had severe headaches, irritation to throat and eyes, which are considered to be the short-term effects of the pollution. The long-term effects include chronic respiratory diseases, lung cancer,