Iran Forced to Declare Pollution Holiday

Smog forces Tehran to shut down for 2 days
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 1, 2010 2:42 AM CST
Iran Forced to Declare Pollution Holiday
A telecommunications tower and residential towers are seen, as cars drive in an evening traffic jam in Tehran.   (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Workers in Tehran and other Iranian cities have been given an extra 2-day vacation to enjoy—as long as they can enjoy themselves without breathing too much. Iranian authorities were forced to declare today and tomorrow public holidays as air pollution reached dangerous levels, AP reports. The capital was also closed for business last Wednesday. Authorities blames the pollution on the city's 4 million vehicles, many of them older models.
(More air pollution stories.)

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