Based on the average yearly PM2.5 concentration, Tehran is ranked as the 23rd most polluted capital in the world by the Swiss-based air quality monitoring company IQAir AirVisual.
IQAir AirVisual is a nonprofit firm trying to promote access to real-time air quality information, aggregate and validate real-time data from governments and monitors operated by individuals and organizations across continents.
According to the firm’s 2018 World Air Quality Report published on airvisual.com, the sprawling Iranian capital is ranked as the 23rd most polluted capital based on the average yearly PM2.5 concentration.
Average PM2.5 concentration in Tehran was 26.1 μg/m³ in 2018, significantly higher than the World Health Organization’s recommended threshold.
The WHO recommends an annual mean exposure threshold of 10 μg/m³ to PM2.5 to minimize the risk of health impact from particulate matters while advising that no level of exposure has been shown to be free of health impacts.
Top five polluted capitals in the world are Delhi, Dhaka, Kabul, Manama, and Ulaanbaatar.
Country Ranking
Sorted by estimated average PM2.5 concentration, Iran is ranked as 25th most polluted country in the world. The average PM2.5 concentration in the country was 24.97 µg/m3 in 2018. Based on WHO guidelines Iran’s air quality is marked as moderate.
The top five most polluted countries in the world are Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, and Bahrain
The report further ranks Iran as the 7th most polluted country in South Asia. The most polluted countries in the region are Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, Nepal, and Sri Lanka.
Global Overview
Air quality in over 3,000 cities was monitored by the firm in 2018. According to the report, 64% of the cities exceeded the WHO’s annual exposure guideline for particulate matter.
Air pollution is the greatest environmental risk to health today, estimated to contribute to 7 million premature deaths every year.
Sorted by estimated average PM2.5 concentration, Iran is ranked as 25th most polluted country in the world. The average PM2.5 concentration in the country was 24.97 µg/m3 in 2018
Polluted air presents the world’s fourth leading contributing cause of early deaths, and burdens the global economy with an estimated annual cost of $225 billion.
Furthermore, the World Health Organization estimates that 9 out of 10 people worldwide breathe unsafe polluted air.
Annually some 12,000 air pollution-related deaths are reported by Iran’s Legal Medicine Organization, with one-third of the fatalities in the capital.
Why PM 2.5
The report focuses on PM2.5 as a representative measure of air pollution. PM2.5 refers to particulate matter (ambient airborne particles) which measure up to 2.5 microns in size.
PM2.5 is widely regarded as the pollutant with the most health impact of all commonly measured air pollutants. Due to its small size PM2.5 is able to penetrate deep into the human respiratory system and from there to the entire body, causing a wide range of short- and long-term health effects.
Particulate matter is also the pollutant group which affects the most people globally.
It can come from a range of natural as well as man-made sources. Common sources of PM include combustion (from vehicle engines, industry, wood, and coal burning), as well as through other pollutants reacting in the atmosphere.
Iran’s Battle
A primary step in the fight against air pollution is gathering reliable data to be able to find and devise practical solutions. There are 25 air quality monitoring stations in Tehran.
In addition to Tehran, air quality monitoring facilities have been set up in other major cities, including Shiraz, Tabriz, Isfahan and Yazd.
Residents of Tehran can check the air quality by visiting airnow.tehran.ir which releases reports on an hourly basis. Similar online services are available in other cities.
With a simple search via Google people can access data about air quality in their dwelling place.
Tehran Municipality with help from the Interior Ministry and Department of Environment has devised schemes to help curb air pollution in the capital that is home to an estimated 12 million people and four million cars and three million motorbikes.
The latest move that aims to address the issue is the Air Pollution Reduction scheme launched last November.
As per the scheme, old and dilapidated vehicles are banned and violators are fined. All four and two-wheelers in the metropolis are required to go for mandatory inspections and get technical conformity papers that confirm the vehicle meets all automotive and emission standards.
Urban Transportation
Furthermore, since Pirouz Hanachi took office as mayor of Tehran in November 2018, promoting cleaner transportation including cycling has been put on the agenda.
Hanachi and his men have outlined plans for expansion of the capital’s inefficient public transportation system. Over the past few weeks urban managers have promised that two subway lines in Tehran will launched soon.
The city’s subway system comprises seven main lines (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7, of which lines 3, 6 and 7 are yet to be completed) with nearly 100 stations.
According to authorities lines 6 and 7 will open partially in the coming weeks and probably coincide with Nowruz, the Persian New Year that starts on March 21.
