Sulfur odor triggers health alarm in Iraq’s Dujail
Shafaq News – Saladin
A pungent sulfur odor that spread across Dujail in southern Saladin overnight forced several families to flee their homes, renewing scrutiny of Iraq’s deteriorating environmental conditions.
An official told Shafaq News on Monday that the smell covered several neighborhoods, causing shortness of breath and eye irritation and prompting families to alert the authorities, though no cases of suffocation had been reported.
Civil defense, police, and environmental teams were dispatched to collect air and groundwater samples to identify the source, with initial assessments pointing to either a leak in nearby oil pipelines or the burning of sulfur-based materials in surrounding farmlands.
Dujail, an agricultural district surrounded by industrial sites, has long drawn residents’ complaints over toxic emissions from nearby asphalt plants, with some reports indicating dangerously high sulfur concentrations in the air. Health workers and local activists warn of rising respiratory illnesses and cancer rates linked to years of unchecked industrial activity.
Similar incidents have been reported in Baghdad, where residents face pollution from noise, air, water, and soil, posing a daily threat to millions. Experts warn that Iraq—ranked 37th among the world’s most polluted countries in 2025 and sixth in the Arab region—faces an escalating public-health threat unless environmental controls are strengthened.
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