According to Vahid Hosseini, the head of this study, the sulfur present in these energy products “not only acutely pollutes the air, but badly damages the control and pollution-reducing equipments in gasoline engines”.

The result of this study was published by ISNA state-run news agency on April 5 according to which “in such conditions, using pollution-reducing equipment in vehicles is ineffective because the low quality of fuel and the high level of sulfur damage this equipment”.

The study by Sharif Industrial University also demonstrates that the amount of benzen (the poisonous and probably cancerous substance) in the various types of gasoline tested fluctuated from 8.1% to 9.2% instead of the 1% which is the standard.

Tehran, Mashhad, Ahvaz, Esfahan, Tabriz, as well as a number of other large cities in Iran register among the most polluted cities in the globe with low quality fuel being the major contributor to this state.

According to international organizations, every year thousands in Iran die because of the polluted air and a much greater number struggle with acquired diseases related to air pollution. Before that,The ministry of health, treatment and medical education released mortality rates from air pollution for major cities in Iran. Each year more than 4,400 people in Tehran, 3,200 people in Mashhad and 2,700 people in Isfahan die from air pollution. In these 3 cities alone 28 people die daily due to air pollution. Unannounced statistics in other cities indicate a true environmental disaster (Tabnak websites reports On February 24th). 

The state-run ISNA news agency, quoting the Director General of Environment Agency on February 26th, wrote: “Iran ranks 114 among 132 countries in the environmental performance index. Currently, Iran is harvesting three times more than its bio-capacity and according to the World Bank report Iran pays $8 billion pollution damage annually. Tehran, Ahwaz and Isfahan are among the 10 most polluted cities in the world.”