Overview
- Residents reported choking air, stinging eyes and sore skin after oily dark precipitation followed fires at petroleum facilities in and around the capital.
- The World Health Organization warned that damage to oil infrastructure risks contaminating food, water and air with severe impacts on vulnerable groups.
- Iran's Red Crescent cautioned that subsequent rainfall could be highly acidic, with potential for chemical burns and serious lung injury.
- Scientists said burning fuel releases fine soot, PAHs and gases like NOx and SO2 that can penetrate deep into lungs, elevate cardiac and respiratory risks and raise long‑term cancer concerns.
- The BBC has verified at least four strikes on petroleum installations near Tehran since February 28, yet limited field sampling leaves the scale of contamination uncertain.