14 DAY TRIAL // China has a serious air pollution crisis to deal with and, by the looks of it, Iran is not doing all that great either. News from this part of the world says that the country's capital, i.e. the city of Tehran, is now drowning in smog.
The air over this urban area is said to contain dangerous amounts of fine particulate matter and other air pollutants. According to a report issued by the World Health Organization earlier this year, these compounds can all cause cancer in humans.
Information shared with the public says that, over the past few days, air quality in the region has been so poor that local authorities have asked people to avoid going outside unless they had urgent matters to solve.
Special warnings concerning children and the elderly have been issued. According to the Los Angeles Times, this is because these two groups of people are the ones most likely to develop medical complications as a result of exposure to heavy air pollution.
People already suffering with various health problems, and especially those diagnosed with respiratory conditions, have also been asked to remain indoors and limit their exposure to the smog hovering over the city.
Of the people who did venture out of their homes during this air pollution crisis, many had to deal with watering eyes and coughing fits.
The same source tells us that, according to environmental activist Mohammad Darvish, air pollution in Iran's capital city can be linked to about 4,000 yearly deaths.
Furthermore, climatologists argue that, according to their investigations, the city of Tehran has only experienced 250 days of acceptable air quality over the past two years.
In an attempt to curb current air concentrations of fine particulate matter and harmful chemical compounds, authorities have limited the number of cars driven in the city. Thus, this past Wednesday, only cars whose license plate ended in an even number were driven on downtown streets.
Despite these measures, odds are it will be a while until local air quality takes a turn for the better.