Air pollution in Bushehr, Iran

Problems

• The deadly consequences of air pollution in Bushehr

  The Iranian city of Bushehr has become a hotbed of catastrophic air pollution. Environmentalists claim that air pollution in Iran has caused the death of tens of thousands of people a year. This was reported by Abbas Shahsouni, head of the Air Protection and Climate Change Department of Iran's Ministry of Health.
  
  "Air pollution in Iran's cities reaches 2.5 microns, causing 41,700 premature deaths a year," Shahsouni said.
  Air pollution causes cardiovascular and nervous diseases, he said. The level of air pollution in the country is 3.8 times the global average.

• Causes of air pollution

  In the issue of air pollution in Iran, natural and anthropogenic factors should be distinguished. In recent years, with the onset of the autumn-winter period and the heating season in Bushehr, there is a high level of air pollution and photochemical smog. It is caused by a number of natural and anthropogenic factors. According to the combination of biological (geographical, climatic, meteorological) factors Bushehr is characterized by a high potential for atmospheric pollution and its low self-cleaning capacity. Therefore, even insignificant emissions of harmful substances can create a high level of air pollution, especially in the cold period of the year.
  
  In winter and during the transition period, due to a decrease in air circulation activity, pollution accumulates in the surface layer of the atmosphere, forming urban smog. Natural factors include inversion - when cold air flows from mountains to valleys in winter and pollutes the Earth's surface.
  
  It contributes to the accumulation of water vapor, dust, smoke, and harmful impurities in the atmosphere, that is, the formation of fog and smog. In fog, the concentration of impurities increases, and new, more toxic substances are formed when they are absorbed by moisture.
  
  The so-called haze is among the atmospheric phenomena affecting the level of air pollution. It is caused by the presence in the air of tiny particles of loess dust, brought to the Chu Valley by air flows from the Iranian Plateau (Murgab cyclones) and the surrounding deserts of Central Asia. These dust particles are peculiar concentrators of technogenic pollutants contained in exhaust and flue gases. In Bushehr, the number of days with haze ranges from 70 to 124.

• The dangers of toxic metals in the air

  Heavy metals in dust cause health problems in humans and other organisms. Ecologists conducted a study whose main objective was to determine the concentration and sources of heavy metals, including Zn, Cu, Pb, Fe, Ni, Cr, Co, and Mn, and the level of metal pollution in the dust of Bushehr (urban area) and Assaloui (industrial area), located in Bushehr Province in southwestern Iran. In addition, the area between these two cities was investigated as a non-urban area.
  
  Fifty samples of date palm leaf dust and 50 samples of surface soil were collected. The average concentrations of heavy metals in dust from the three districts were higher than in the soil of neighboring districts, except for Co in Assalau and Pb in Bushehr. The concentrations of Zn, Cu, and Pb in dust samples from industrial and urban areas were higher than those from suburban areas. The results showed minimal Mn, Fe, and Cr contamination, minimal to moderate Co, moderate Ni, moderate or significant Cu, significant Zn, and significant or very high Pb in the dust. Two major sources of various heavy metals in atmospheric dust deposited on date palm leaves were identified from the analysis. Zn, Cu, and Pb have anthropogenic sources, while Fe, Ni, Cr, Co, and Mn in atmospheric dust probably come from non-anthropogenic sources.