Read the full article by Kalina Gibson, Dawn Le, and Ariana Sharghi (CAP).
“Even before the first missile struck on February 28, temperature inversions and industrial emissions had pushed Tehran’s PM2.5, or soot, concentrations to more than 17 times the World Health Organization’s recommended limit. The bombing of oil refineries in Tehran, Aghdesieh, Shahran, and Karaj transformed the existing smog into an ‘apocalyptic’ toxic haze and caused fires that raged on for days. Iran’s Environmental Protection Organization warned residents to stay indoors, as the explosions had caused a massive release of toxic hydrocarbons, sulfur oxides, and nitrogen compounds into the air. This was followed by black rain. Scientists confirmed that the rain contained soot, ash, and toxic chemicals from the burning of heavy fuel, and that it may also contain asbestos- and silica-laden debris from the bombing and subsequent destruction of older residential and commercial properties. These contaminants do not merely linger in the air; heavy metals and PFAS compounds leach into groundwater and agricultural soil, creating a persistent toxic legacy, as the post-conflict landscapes of Iraq, Afghanistan, and Lebanon have demonstrated at enormous human cost.
The health impacts of this ‘chemical soup’ are both acute and intergenerational. While residents immediately reported difficulty breathing, burning eyes, sore throats, migraines, dizziness, and cardiac triggers, the long-term burden is equally insidious. Prolonged exposure to the aromatic compounds now suspended in Tehran’s air, seeping into its soil, and entering its water supply is ‘known to interact with DNA’ and is associated with elevated risks of stroke, lung and other cancers, elevated blood pressure, and cognitive decline. Numerous studies have established a link between toxic smoke exposure and elevated cancer incidence, yet the long latency periods involved mean this burden will not become fully visible in health statistics for years or even decades.”…