Air quality in Khorramshahr

What is the current level of air pollution in Khorramshahr?

Khorramshahr is the capital city of Khorramshahr County, Khuzestan Province, Iran. According to the 2016 census the approximate population was 171,000 people. As a result of the Iran-Iraq war, many people left the city for safety elsewhere but they are slowly beginning to return and rebuild their houses and businesses. The city itself is an inland port and well connected to the waterways network in that locality.

Towards the middle of 2021, Khorramshahr was experiencing a period of poor quality air with a US AQI reading of 136. This classified it as being “Unhealthy for sensitive groups”. This classification system is used and recognised throughout the world and, as such, it is used to compare different cities in different countries but by using the same metrics, and is endorsed by the World Health Organisation (WHO). There are usually six main pollutants that are taken into consideration when assessing air quality. Sometimes numbers for all six are not available so the figure has to be calculated by using what data is available. The only measurement available for Khorramshahr was that of the pollutant PM2.5 with a reported figure of 44.2 µg/m³. This figure is quoted in micrograms/microns per cubic metre.

With a level such as this, the given advice is to remain indoors and close all doors and windows to prevent the ingress of more polluted air into the rooms. Those of a sensitive disposition should avoid venturing outside until the air quality improves. The table at the top of this page should help with that decision. Even healthy people should avoid prolonged exercise outdoors and an air purifier should be beneficial if one is available.

Is the level of air pollution consistent throughout the year?

Due to the volatile nature of air pollution, it can change rapidly according to local conditions, such as through wind speed and direction and the strength of the sunlight.

Looking at the published figures for 2020 by the Swiss air monitoring company, IQAir.com it can readily be seen that for most of the year Khorramshahr experienced “Moderate” quality air with readings between 12.1 and 35.4 µg/m³. This covered the months of February through to the end of October. For the months of November and January the level fell to 38.3 and 37.6 respectively which classified it as being “Unhealthy for sensitive groups”. The remaining month of December saw a decline once more to “Unhealthy” levels with readings between 55.5 and 150.4 µg/m³.

There were no records held before 2020 when the annual average was noted to be 30.3 µg/m³. This may not be a truly accurate reading because of the restrictions imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many vehicles were no longer used as the drivers were furloughed and not required to travel to and from work. There were also many factories and other non-essential production units which were temporarily closed in an attempt to prevent the spread of the virus.

What are the sources of all this air pollution in Khorramshahr?

Today, most air pollutants are particulate matter less than two and a half microns, which are also emitted by cars. Looking at the large cities, it is easy to see that they are becoming a graveyard of worn-out cars from the European Union, the useful life of a car is between 12 and 15 years, after which it must either be recycled or taken to a car cemetery, but measures have been taken to prevent the accumulation of cars in these places. This includes the recyclability of many cars, but in Iran, we see the movement of cars over 50 years old.

The role of motorcycles in air pollution should not be ignored because they are the main culprits. Each motorcycle pollutes up to 18 times more than other vehicles, while 11 million motorcycles travel in the country. More than 9 million of them are worn out and should be scrapped.

Fixed resources, which include industry, factories and residential and commercial places, in smaller components, include heating devices (water heaters and stoves) that use fossil fuels. Also, incineration of waste (reeds and straw and the remnants of post-harvest crops) are other constant sources of air pollution, which, of course, is abundant in Khuzestan province and in this region, especially in Khorramshahr.

What can be done to improve air quality around Khorramshahr?

Acculturalisation is the most effective solution. It is necessary to work in this field, especially in cities such as Khorramshahr, despite the vast agricultural lands and many industries and factories, and to inform the people about the harm of this practice. It is a wrong culture to burn crop residue, for example, and prepare this land for future crops. This issue is very intense in the cities of Khorramshahr and Shadegan, and its effects will certainly reach this region, and the pollution caused by it will affect the local citizens.

The type of fuel provided to our public transport fleet and industrial units is not clean fuel, and this causes air pollution. This type of fuel is high in sulphur and produces many pollutants. In fact, it should be said that the technology of car engines in production, industrial and transportation units is also low, and for this reason, there are problems in the production of polluted exhaust gases, which are harmful and dangerous to human health.

In this case, complete combustion does not take place in the engines and leads to the production of polluted gases. One solution is to modernise the public transport fleet. This fleet needs to be updated so that less pollution enters the environment.

What are the harmful effects on health from this polluted air?

The main respiratory symptoms due to contamination are coughing, wheezing, excessive mucus in the respiratory tract, etc. These symptoms correspond to diseases such as bronchitis, asthma, emphysema, cancer, etc. In sum, the lungs are the human organ most affected by air pollution, especially by the presence of solid particles that, if they are very small in size, are not retained in the previous airways and reach the alveoli of the lungs, causing their obstruction and degradation. Poor oxygenation of red blood cells can cause cardiovascular disorders such as narrowing of the coronary arteries, risk of clot formation, alteration of the atherosclerotic plaque, etc. In general, these damages caused to people can also be assumed to a greater or lesser extent to be inflicted on animals and living beings in general.