Khuzestan province, particularly Ahvaz city, is host to a variety of industries that have contributed to the current air pollution in this region. These industries mainly include gas and petrochemical industries as well as steel and sugarcane factories. The unprecedented dust plumes from local and long range sources during recent years have exacerbated air pollution in the province. In 2013, the World Health Organization listed Ahvaz as the most polluted city in the world in terms of PM10 concentrations. Therefore, scientists in the field of air pollution and respiratory diseases at AJUMS decided to establish a center to organize research in this field, start a diligent effort to investigate the impact of specific air pollution in the region, find possible new research related to air pollution and respiratory diseases, and improve the health of patients by conducting relevant research. The agreement in principle to establish the Center for Research on Air Pollution and Respiratory Diseases was approved in August 2016, and the center officially started its research activities. The APRD research center has so far been able to respond to some environmental concerns in recent years. Ahvaz has encountered a phenomenon called autumnal thunderstorm asthma attacks. A number of speculations have been put forward concerning the autumn respiratory incidents of 2013–2015 in Ahvaz. Since this phenomenon occurred concurrent with the first autumnal rain, some governmental organizations such as the Ahvaz Department of Environment (DoE) claimed that acidic or contaminated wet deposition was the main cause for promoting the respiratory outbreaks during this period. However, our earlier work showed that there was no acidic precipitation during the time of respiratory outbreaks in 2013–2015. The statistics reported in the epidemic of this phenomenon in the last few years in the city of Ahvaz have been unprecedented in the world, and more than 60,000 people referred to medical centers as a result of this event. According to the investigations conducted in the Air Pollution and Respiratory Diseases Research Center, the autumnal thunderstorm asthma attacks in Ahvaz might be triggered by a combination of bio-allergens (fungal spores and airborne pollen grains such as from Conocarpus erectus) and high levels of air pollutants from industrial activity.

https://en.ajums.ac.ir/en-US/en.ajums.ac/40319/page/-Air-Pollution-and-Respiratory-Diseases-