Baku, Azerbaijan, Apr.13
By Fatih Karimov - Trend: Carburetor cars produce 400 metric tons of pollutants daily in Iran's capital, Tehran, Hossein Shahbazi, an Iranian air pollution forecast expert said.
Studies show that 9.4 percent of passenger cars, 22.1 percent of vans, and 4.7 percent of taxis in Tehran are powered by carburetor engines, Iran's Shana news agency quoted Shahbazi as saying on April 13.
Generally speaking, carburetor cars account for 9.4 percent of the city's transport fleet and 51.3 percent of the city's air pollution, he added.
Tehran and other major Iranian cities have been hit by air pollution several times over the past months and old cars account for a major portion of the pollution.
Air pollution is measured in particle matter of 2.5 microns in diameter or PM 2.5. The air quality index measures clean air at between 0-50, safe air is 50-100, 100-150 is considered unhealthy for sensitive groups. At 150-200 an unhealthy warning may be issued while over 200 is very unhealthy and over 300 becomes a hazardous emergency level.
Last year, according to PSI (Pollutant Standards Index), Iran had 147 days during which air quality was substandard. Two years ago, this number stood at 217 days.
Edited by CN