Air quality data from Ahvaz to Mazandaran reveals a worsening national health emergency driven by pollution, industrial emissions, and cross-border dust storms.
Air pollution in Iran has entered a new and alarming phase, with official data revealing a dramatic rise in fatalities and respiratory illnesses across several provinces. According to a report by state-run daily Etemad, the Ahvaz University of Medical Sciences has confirmed that 1,624 people in Ahvaz and Khuzestan lost their lives in the past year due to air pollution, a figure that underscores the scale of the public health emergency gripping the region.
Sharp Rise in Respiratory and Cardiac Emergencies
The Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences in Ahvaz has issued repeated warnings in recent days, reporting a 66% surge in heart and respiratory-related medical visits over the past 18 months. Alarmingly, 70% of these cases involved children under the age of 14, and half were children under six.
Mosib Rafieipour, Director of Disease Management at the university, stated that air pollution—ranked as the fifth leading cause of death among children under five in 2022—has now become the second leading cause of death in this age group.
The university also reported that over 100,000 children under 14 sought medical care in the past year due to pollution-induced respiratory and cardiac issues. In the first six months of this year alone, more than 60,000 people were hospitalized or treated for pollution-related complications.
Residents describe the impact as suffocating. Maryam, a local, said: “I developed asthma ten years ago because of air pollution. Every winter, I fear the air more than anything else.”
Air Pollution Spreads to the North: Mazandaran Joins the Crisis
The state-run daily newspaper Ettelaat reports that air pollution is no longer limited to the south and industrial regions. Mazandaran—once celebrated for its mild, clean climate—has now become one of Iran’s polluted provinces. Recent measurements show that the air quality index in Amol reached 161, making it unhealthy for all groups, while Chalous recorded an index of 103, a level considered unsafe for vulnerable populations.
Experts cite several factors behind this deterioration. Continuous mazut burning at the Neka power plant, increasing emissions from industrial centers, and unregulated mining activities have all contributed to the problem. In addition to these domestic sources, dust storms from Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan now frequently sweep across northern Iran, carrying fine particulate matter that exacerbates respiratory and cardiac complications.
Hassan Heydarpour, Deputy Director of Human Environment at the Mazandaran Environmental Protection Agency, confirmed that the latest readings show persistent unhealthy conditions in Amol and deteriorating air quality in Chalous. Provincial director Mohammadreza Kanani emphasized that nearly 70% of Mazandaran’s air pollution originates outside Iran, driven by strong winds transporting dust from Central Asian deserts.
A Nationwide Environmental Emergency
The data from Khuzestan and Mazandaran—two regions with drastically different climates and geographies—highlight a single, undeniable reality: Iran is facing an escalating air pollution crisis with severe consequences for public health, especially for children.
While regime officials only continue to warn of rising risks, the lack of effective long-term policies, continued reliance on mazut burning, and unchecked industrial emissions have pushed several provinces into chronic environmental distress.
The health impacts—thousands of deaths, tens of thousands of children requiring medical care, and conditions worsening each year—underscore the urgency of addressing what has become one of Iran’s most severe and widespread public health crises.
