TEHRAN, Dec. 3 (Xinhua) -- More than 210,000 people with heart and breathing problems sought emergency care in Iran from Nov. 22 to Dec. 1 as air pollution spiked in several cities, Iran's state-run IRNA news agency reported Wednesday.
The largest numbers of patients were in the provinces of Tehran, Khorasan Razavi, Khuzestan and Alborz, raising "a serious alarm for vulnerable groups and the public's overall health," IRNA quoted Jafar Miadfar, head of Iran's Emergency Medical Services Organization, as saying.
Miadfar warned that if pollution levels remain high, hospitalizations and cases of cardiovascular and respiratory illness will continue to rise, especially among older adults, children and people with chronic health conditions.
Residents in major Iranian cities have faced worsening air quality over the past two weeks, with air quality index readings above 150, a level considered unhealthy for all groups.
To limit health risks and reduce pollution, authorities have at times closed schools and universities, allowed remote work, and imposed traffic restrictions in the most polluted areas.
Air quality often deteriorates in Iran's large, crowded cities during the colder months, particularly when wind and rain are scarce. Temperature inversions trap polluted air close to the ground, while emissions from aging vehicles and some industrial plants add to the problem. ■
