Over 1,500 people hospitalised in Iran due to air pollution

As many as 1,541 Iranians suffering from heart and breathing problems have been admitted to hospitals across Iran due to air pollution, an official said yesterday.

Iranian emergency services spokesman Mojtaba Khalidi explained that during the past 24 hours, 1,051 people have been transferred to emergency rooms in the capital Tehran alone, noting that other cases were registered in Isfahan, Al-Borz and other central cities.

Khalidi urged Tehran residents, especially those suffering from breathing problems not to go out except in emergencies and to wear protective masks in public.

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Pollution experts have called on people with breathing problems in the city of Tabriz not to use public transport; while those in Mashhad have been told not to leave their homes.

Schools have been suspended in Arak, and flights grounded due to low visibility in Ahvaz.

Population density, high emissions from old cars and motorbikes and inadequate infrastructure have all been blamed for the increased levels of air pollution.

Tehran ranks as the world’s 12th most polluted cities.