Black rain in Iran: Toxic smoke from US-Israeli airstrikes on Iranian oil facilities has returned to Earth in the form of “black rain.” International health authorities have sounded alarm over the hazardous precipitation, warning of serious risks to the public.
Iran residents complained of breathing issues
Residents in Tehran complained last week of burning eyes and difficulty breathing when the dark and oily precipitation fell near the Iranian capital after several fuel oil depots and a refinery were struck, PTI report.
Plumes of dark smoke have also been seen across other parts of the region over two weeks of war, as Iran retaliates against US-Israeli airstrikes by firing drones and missiles at the oil and natural gas facilities of its Persian Gulf neighbours, the report added.
Rain washes hazardous chemicals out of the atmosphere in a relatively short period of time, experts said, but people exposed to black rain should take precautions to avoid short- and long-term health risks, the PTI report said.
What is black rain?
It occurs when soot, ash and toxic chemicals combine with water droplets in the atmosphere, then fall back to Earth when it rains. It’s common after oil refineries or oil fields catch fire, and it can also be caused by wildfires, volcanic eruptions and industrial pollution, the PTI report said.
In Iran, microscopic soot formed when hydrocarbons in the fuel oil burned incompletely, experts said. Burning oil also forms compounds called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs, as well as toxic gases such as sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, which cause acid rain, Peter Adams, a civil and environmental engineering professor at Carnegie Mellon University, was quoted as saying by PTI.
What are the health risks of exposure
Microscopic soot, whose particles are about 40 times smaller than the width of a human hair, can lodge deep in the lungs and enter the bloodstream, causing breathing and heart problems that can lead to premature death, experts were quoted by PTI. Exposure to PAHs can increase cancer risk.
In Iran, the World Health Organisation and the country’s health and environmental officials advised people to stay indoors and wear masks. They warned that the rainfall was highly acidic and could burn the skin and cause lung damage, the report added.
Some Iranians fear the polluted rain, which also contains heavy metals, could contaminate drinking-water reservoirs and waterways, the PTI report said.
How long do the chemicals last in the atmosphere
It usually takes only hours for fuel tanks to burn out. But – as happened in Kuwait during the Gulf War 25 years ago – oil fields can burn for months, said Adams, the PTI report said.
Iran says Strait of Hormuz remains closed to vessels for countries attacking it
Amid the growing tensions after the United States had “obliterated” military targets on Iran’s main oil hub of Kharg Island, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that the Strait of Hormuz remains open to international shipping but is closed to vessels belonging to countries that are attacking his country.
Strait of Hormuz is the narrow waterway between Iran and Oman that connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea.
