Abbas Shahsavani, head of the Air Health and Climate Change Group at Iran’s Health Ministry, announced that based on monitoring a statistical population of 48 million, 30,692 deaths were attributed to air pollution last year.
He also stated that the number of visits to public health centers for non-infectious respiratory illnesses has increased by approximately 30% since December 22, 2024.
The number of deaths due to air pollution last year increased by 4,385, approximately 17%, compared to the previous year.
Previously, Shahsavani reported that an average of 26,307 deaths from air pollution were recorded in 2022, marking an increase of over 26% compared to 2021.
Under the law, the Health Ministry is required to examine the health, economic, and mortality impacts of air pollution with the goal of advocacy and effective measures to reduce these deaths. This effort began in 2017.
According to the latest Health Ministry review, the economic cost of deaths attributed to air pollution last year was estimated at $12 billion, equivalent to approximately 6 trillion rials.
Tehran Had Only 12 Days of Clean Air in 2024
The head of the Air Health and Climate Change Group at the Health Ministry also noted that the number of days with particulate matter levels below 2.5 microns in Tehran was only 12 days, equivalent to 3% of the past year.
Meanwhile, air pollution in Tehran continued for the tenth consecutive day. The air quality in Ahvaz, Mahshahr, and Abadan on Sunday was also classified as unhealthy and in the red category.
The air quality in several other Iranian cities, including Zanjan, Ramhormoz, and Shadegan, was deemed unhealthy for sensitive groups.
Over the past week, numerous cities in Iran experienced severe air pollution, with hundreds of individuals seeking medical attention for heart and respiratory conditions.
In several provinces, schools, universities, and government offices were either closed or shifted to remote operations.
The head of the Air Health and Climate Change Group also mentioned that while the frequency of dust storms in western regions of the country has decreased over the past year, they have intensified in eastern areas, particularly in the city of Zabol.
He emphasized that Zabol and Iranshahr are the most polluted cities in the country.
According to Shahsavani, the two major cities of Isfahan and Mashhad are also experiencing high concentrations of air pollutants.
Sandstorms in Sistan and Baluchestan have intensified in recent years due to the drying up of rivers and wetlands in the region, particularly the Helmand, Hamoun, and Jazmourian wetlands.
