Polluted Air Cancerous and Deadly, Like Asbestos says UN

air pollution tehran, iran
It doesn’t take a genius or a position paper to figure out that air pollution in cities and near industrial zones is toxic to human health. But now that it’s got an officially bad status with the United Nations, up there with asbestos and 100 other killer chemicals, maybe governments and cities will listen.

According the United Nations (UN) body, the World Health Organization (WHO) the air we breath should now be classified as carcinogenic and dangerous to human life.

It is now ranked in Group 1 of the International Agency for Research on Cancer, the WHO organization that tracks cancer rates around the world. Particulate matter, the dark or white dust you wipe off your window sill, is a particular concern for lung cancer. Air pollution, indoor and out, now joins the bad list of cancerous materials like asbestos (for mesothelioma), plutonium, silica dust, tobacco smoke and UV radiation.

Related: Cairo’s Black Smog Season

Air pollution is caused from a variety of sources in cities. Car and bus fumes, and particulate matter are especially toxic, as are fumes and emissions from power plants, cooking fuel, and any industry nearby that may be releasing emissions. I’ve been choked up in Bangkok but some of the worst air pollution I’ve felt in the Middle East region is in Amman, Jordan – also most recently voted as one of the ugliest cities in the world. While I’ve never been to Tehran, I am not sure I would like to: some 27 people a day die in the Iranian city from choking fumes.

The dangers vary from one region to the next but the WHO says all regions of the world are affected by poor air quality at some level.

How can we stop emissions? Riding bikes, electric buses, walking. As well as greener sources of cooking fuel and residential heating.

Karin Kloosterman
Karin Kloostermanhttp://www.greenprophet.com
Karin Kloosterman is an award-winning journalist, innovation strategist, and founder of Green Prophet, one of the Middle East’s pioneering sustainability platforms. She has ranked in the Top 10 of Verizon innovation competitions, participated in NASA-linked challenges, and spoken worldwide on climate, food security, and future resilience. With an IoT technology patent, features in Canada’s National Post, and leadership inside teams building next-generation agricultural and planetary systems — including Mars-farming concepts — Karin operates at the intersection of storytelling, science, and systems change. She doesn’t report on the future – she helps design it. Reach out directly to [email protected]

Read More

85 COMMENTS
  1. […] According the United Nations (UN) body, the World Health Organization( World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that is concerned with international public health . It was established on 7 April 1948, with headquarters in Geneva , Switzerland and is a member of the United Nations Development Group . Its predecessor, the Health Organization, was an agency of the League of Nations . League of Nations: Health Organization http: whqlibdoc.who.int hist chronicles health_org_1931.) (WHO) the air we breath should now be classified as carcinogenic and dangerous to human life. Source From : Polluted Air Cancerous and Deadly, Like Asbestos says UN […]

  2. There are too many people (7.2 billion) producing too much pollution. So, safely recycle 100% of human waste materials, and peacefully reduce the human population with family planning programs; and also plant millions of trees, and family gardens. That means coal-fired power plants and jet planes need to filter 100% of their smoke and fumes or be closed down, grounded and replaced by solar and wind power and filtered trains and buses.

  3. I’m trying their best to the world no smoke and dust , however, I need help with financing
    I believe it’s a time of collaboration, a time to merge social networks – physical and virtual – to scale and help turn big ideas into reality.
    I look forward to exchanging ideas and collaborating with others around the world who believe technology can be used to push dramatic change at a unique time for all of us.

TRENDING

Dan Zaslavsky’s energy tower dream is rising again in Iran and China

The Energy Tower idea never made the leap from drawings and engineering studies to full-scale construction. But nearly two decades after most people stopped talking about it, the concept is quietly evolving in two unexpected places: China and Iran. The concept let dreamers dream and doers do - figuring out more pleasing designs and engineering.

Hormuz 2026 Conflict Poses an Energy and Food Security Dilemma in a Warming World

As tensions rise in one of the world’s most critical maritime chokepoints, the ripple effects go far beyond oil—touching food systems, climate pressures, and regional stability

Baby teeth read like tree rings paint a picture of toxins in early life

A new study from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York offers a striking insight into how the environments we are born into can quietly shape our brains years later. By analyzing naturally shed baby teeth, the ones tucked under pillows for the tooth fairy, researchers have reconstructed a detailed timeline of exposure to environmental metals during pregnancy and early infancy.

40 more migratory animals need protecting, warns UN group

The Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), governments agreed to extend protection to 40 more migratory species, from cheetahs and striped hyenas to snowy owls, giant otters, and great hammerhead sharks. Too many of them are slipping toward extinction .

Yerukim Forms a New Green Economy Where the Money is Really Green

The Yerukim members who pick up the recyclables get to keep the monetary reward, the public earns "green" bills that can be used in shops, and business owners get to be associated with environmentalism.

Choosing Riyadh over Dubai? What Investors Should Know

Saudi Arabia is deploying capital at unmatched scale to catalyze tourism and advanced industry while rewiring its power-and-water backbone. The investable frontier is widening—especially in renewables, grid storage, water efficiency/desal retrofits, and hospitality operating platforms. Prudent investors will insist on phased delivery, enforceable KPIs (energy, water, biodiversity), and RHQ/zone compliance—while pricing political-economy and reputational risks alongside growth upside.

Sell your cooking oil for biodiesel money

Want to make money on old french fry oil? Sell it.

Qatar Alternative Energy Summit Pairs Investors And Innovators

Alternative energy investors and innovators can meet n' greet in Doha, Qatar March 16 and 17.

Here’s How To Implement The Four Pillars Of Employee Engagement

If you throw a party for your work team and they are vegans, don't make it a barbecue. Know the sustainability values of your team to boost moral and retain good people.

Locals From Rishon Fight IKEA

Big Box stores are a pretty new concept in Israel, and thank God that not every Israeli city wants them in their backyard. A word from someone who has see the beautiful farmland around her hometown Newmarket, Ontario stripped and converted into vulgar strip malls of big box shops: they have no place in a healthy and sustainable town or city.

The Jewish National Fund Meets An Inconvenient Truth

According to the JNF, it has transformed thousands of acres of barren land into green forests in Israel. They state that each person emits about 23 tons of carbon per year, estimating that each tree planted can absorb one ton of carbon in its lifetime. That's a whole lot of trees you'd need to be planting. Could so many fit in Israel?

How to quiet noise from construction in your office

Streets need to be resurfaced in New York but the humming and grinding noise is unsettling. Noise is environmental pollution. 

Popular Categories