Financial Tribune - Air pollution annually costs Tehran residents $2.6 billion, an official with the Department of Environment says.

According to Behzad Ashjaei, breathing toxic emissions costs people in Tehran $2.6 billion per year, which means that air pollution inflicts a loss of $300 on each resident of the capital, he told ISNA on Sunday.

The population of the capital city was over 8.6 million, according to the latest census statistics released by the government in 2016.

"The financial damage can be significantly curbed if people become more aware and careful about the technical conditions of their vehicles, regularly change their catalytic converters and use public transportation for daily commute," he added.

Ashjaei said curbing the chronic traffic congestion and air pollution in Iranian metropolises is impossible unless the general public is motivated to give up on their passenger vehicles and use public means of transportation.