Smoke rises after an airstrike in central Tehran, Iran, on March 10.
The size of some of the pollutants released following bombings on oil installations could be “unprecedented” and affect water and food, in addition to the air, warns the WHO.
Satellite images show plumes of smoke caused by attacks on an oil depot and a refinery spread over Tehran on Monday. The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that attacks on oil installations could pose serious risks to the health of residents.
Since the beginning of attacks by the United States and Israel against Iran, bombings have been confirmed on at least four oil installations on the outskirts of the capital.
According to residents, pollution and smoke haze covered the sun and left a strong burning smell in areas of the city. Experts warn that the size of some of the pollutants released could be “unprecedented”. Worsening air pollution appears to be concentrated near stricken oil installations around the Iranian capital, a city of nearly 10 million people and millions more in the surrounding areas.
The most recent satellite images, captured on the 9th and analyzed by BBC Verify, show two large oil installations in Tehran still on fire, following reports of air strikes during the early hours of Saturday. The images also show smoke coming from the Shahran deposit, to the northwest, and the Tehran oil refinery, to the southeast. Verified videos shortly after Saturday’s attack show huge fireballs lighting up the night sky at the refinery.
The simultaneous presence of clouds and columns of smoke from the ongoing fires prevents, for now, the assessment of the extent of the damage to the oil installations affected over the weekend, but images captured in Shahran on Sunday morning showed emergency teams inspecting burned oil tanker trucks, blackened buildings and fires that were still active.
BBC Verify sent the coordinates of this facility, along with three other locations identified by the team, to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the Pentagon for comment. The Pentagon did not respond, while the IDF stated that “there were no IDF strikes in these locations.”
The IDF said it had hit “fuel depots” near Tehran in a post on social media site X on March 7, which included a photograph showing damage to Tehran’s oil refinery.
Attacks on oil refineries can generate significant levels of air pollution, as these facilities contain a wide variety of chemicals. When oil burning is incomplete — due to lack of oxygen — carbon monoxide and soot particles can be released instead of carbon dioxide and water.
Oil fires can also release sulfur and nitrogen oxides, which can form acids when they dissolve in rainwater, as well as other harmful hydrocarbons, metallic compounds and oil droplets.
The severity of air pollution
A Tehran resident in her 20s said she could “smell the burning smell” caused by attacks on oil installations. “I can’t see the sun. There is horrible smoke. It’s still here. I’m very tired,” she told BBC News Persian on Saturday.
An accurate assessment of air pollution is difficult because there are no measurements available on the ground, and satellite data is difficult to interpret due to wind, clouds and other factors.
Still, given the mix of chemicals likely released by damaged oil sites, scientists have little doubt that the pollution is harmful and extreme — and very different from the pollution haze observed in cities such as Beijing, capital of China, or Delhi, capital of India.
“What happened [no Irão] It is clearly unprecedented, because it is all being caused by missile strikes and air strikes on oil refineries,” said Akshay Deoras, a researcher at the University of Reading, in the United Kingdom.
Many conflicts cause high levels of dust and particle pollution, but the “cluster” of different chemicals in this case is “clearly unusual,” he added.
Eloise Marais, professor of atmospheric chemistry and air quality at University College London in the United Kingdom, agreed.
He said that in most circumstances, this type of pollution it would only be observed in a “very, very serious industrial accident, where an entire refinery explodes.”
What is “black rain” and what causes it
Residents of Tehran reported episodes of “black rain”. The term is an informal expression used to describe precipitation contaminated by pollutants, which acquires a dark color.
It is common for rain to “wash away” pollutants present in the air, but black rain is rare and usually results from very high levels of soot and other air pollutantsscientists told BBC Verify.
“The raindrops acted like little sponges or magnets, collecting whatever was in the air as they fell, which is why residents observed what is being described as ‘black rain’,” explained Deoras from the University of Reading.
It is also possible that some larger particles fell from the air to the ground, without rain occurring.
What could be the impacts
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the WHO, has already expressed “great concern” about the impacts of the conflict on the health of the population.
Damage to oil installations “occurs risk of contaminating food, water and air — hazards that can have serious health impacts, especially on children, the elderly and people with pre-existing medical conditions,” said Ghebreyesus.
“These very intense exposures to particles have immediate effects on the lungs”, said Anna Hansell, professor of environmental epidemiology at the University of Leicester in the United Kingdom. “But they can also have lasting effects over many years, both on the respiratory system and increasing the risk of cancer.”
Doug Weir, director of the Conflict and Environment Observatory, noted that “what is unusual about Tehran is that we had not observed this type of attack in such a densely populated area.”
“Often these oil fields are in rural regions. In Tehran, people are exposed to a huge variety of substances in this black rain, not just oil,” he said.
BBC Weather forecasts indicate periods of rain on Thursday (12/3), as well as stronger winds, which could help disperse and remove pollutants from the atmosphere.
But that doesn’t mean the risks disappear. Pollutants can reach rivers and other watercourses or, if they settle on the ground and the land dries out, they can be suspended in the air again by the action of the wind.
