Chapter 6 - Monitoring and Assessment of Gaseous Pollutants

Abstract

The chapter focuses on the burning wells in Kuwait that produced large amounts of gases, such as sulfur dioxide (SO2), carbon monoxide (CO), hydrogen sulfide (H2S), and the oxides of nitrogen, as well as particulate containing partially burned hydrocarbons and metals. All of these are potentially hazardous to human health and vegetation growth. Based on the processed information of satellite images, the number of burning oil wells and their locations in different oil fields were identified. It was found that four to six million barrels of crude oil and 70 to 90 billion cubic meters of associated gases burned and released thousands of tons of SO2, CO, NOx, and particulate (mainly soot, toxic metals, and carcinogenic elements) into the atmosphere on a daily basis continuously for eight months (March to October 1991). The plumes of smoke, containing carbon and soot in air, were reported in places as far afield as India, Ethiopia, and Hawaii (Houston Post, May 21, 1991). The plume was dominant over the west coast of the Arabian Gulf, passing over populated communities in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. Public health impact, as a result of exposure to the plume during the fire, was of great concern to the regional authorities.