Bombings on oil depots, direct effects for the residents of Tehran. The warning given by the experts
Toxic fires caused by Israel's bombing of Tehran's oil depots continued to burn for days. The city was shrouded in thick smoke and toxic particles, raising fears about the health of millions of residents of the Iranian capital, The Guardian reports.
Smoke clouds from the March 7 bombings of several oil facilities in and around Tehran, including the Shahran depot, blanketed Tehran with pollutants ranging from soot to oil particles and carbon dioxide.
A few hours after the attack, a storm brought “black rain”, laden with oil, over Tehran.
Iranian authorities have described the situation as an “ecocide”, amid environmental destruction and risks to the population.
Four fueling facilities in and around the capital were attacked. The Shahran deposit in the northwest sent a thick plume of toxic smoke into the atmosphere. Also targeted were the Aqdasieh oil depot in the northeast, the Tehran refinery in the south and the Shahid Dolati facility in the west.
Two days after the attacks, the Shahran warehouse and refinery in Tehran were still burning, according to satellite images. Another satellite image captured last Tuesday, 10 days after the attack, showed that the two fires had smoldered. However, smoke and flames were visible at the Aqdasieh oil depot.
The effects of the toxic cloud have taken their toll on people
The consequences fell on the inhabitants.
Several residents complained of respiratory problems, eye and skin irritation, and headaches. Experts have warned that these symptoms could be just the beginning, with long-term risks of cardiovascular disease, cognitive impairment, DNA damage and cancer.
Residents say the air in the capital has been unbreathable for years, with Tehran's chronic pollution made worse by the use of “mazut”, a low-grade heating fuel.
But the particles released by this month's explosions are of a different magnitude and have been deposited on cars, roads and rooftops.
Iranian doctors began distributing information about the dangers of this acid rain, recommending that people stay outside, throw away contaminated clothing, wear N95 masks and stay under trees.
“Black Rain”
Akshay Deoras, a researcher at the University of Reading, explained that the symptoms described by residents are consistent with oil fires, which generate sulfur and nitrogen compounds that can form acids when dissolved in rainwater.
The raindrops, Deoras said, acted “like little sponges or magnets, collecting whatever was in the air as they fell, which is why residents observed what is described as 'black rain'.”
The head of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, previously warned that the attacks risked “contaminating food, water and air – dangers that can have serious health impacts, especially for children, the elderly and people with pre-existing medical conditions”.
The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) also warned that thick smoke from oil burning was “inhaled directly by people in Iran, including young children, raising serious concerns about long-term effects on human health and the environment”.
“Pollution from uncontrolled fires can also seep into soil and water, seep into groundwater and be absorbed by crops, contaminating food supplies,” the organization said.
