Cartoon by ALIREZA PAKDEL

Smog Sends 210,000 Iranians to Emergency Rooms in Just 10 Days

STEVEN GANOT

The Medialine: Gray skies over Iran’s biggest cities sent more than 210,000 people with heart and breathing problems rushing to emergency rooms between Nov. 22 and Dec. 1, according to new government data that paint a stark picture of the country’s pollution crisis. The state-run IRNA news agency said patients flooded hospitals in several provinces as dirty air settled over Tehran and other urban centers.

The heaviest burden fell on Tehran, Khorasan Razavi, Khuzestan, and Alborz, where emergency wards saw surging numbers of people with chest pain, asthma attacks, and other complications. Jafar Miadfar, head of Iran’s Emergency Medical Services Organization, called the spike “a serious alarm for vulnerable groups and the public’s overall health,” warning that the trend will worsen if the smog persists. Older adults, children, and people with chronic conditions are considered most at risk.

To contain the damage, authorities have intermittently shut down schools and universities, shifted offices to remote work, and tightened traffic rules in the most polluted districts. Air quality index readings above 150—levels considered unhealthy for everyone—have been recorded repeatedly in recent days.

Iran’s smog problem is not new. Each winter, cold, still air locks pollutants over sprawling cities built around car traffic, refineries, and factories. Aging vehicles that burn low-quality fuel and decades of underinvestment in public transport feed the haze, while US sanctions have made it harder for Tehran to upgrade its energy and industrial infrastructure.

Health experts say repeated exposure to such conditions can shorten lives and drive up long-term rates of cancer, stroke, and cardiovascular disease. The latest emergency figures suggest that for many Iranians, the cost of stepping outside is no longer abstract—it is paid in hospital visits and labored breaths.