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Subject: KUWAIT POLLUTION PROBLEMS

Not Finally Evaluated Intelligence







TO FACILITATE ELECTRONIC ACCESS, THIS DOCUMENT HAS BEEN

REFORMATTED TO ELIMINATE INFORMATION THAT DOES NOT PERTAIN

TO GULF WAR ILLNESS ISSUES OR THAT IS CLASSIFIED. A COPY OF

THIS REDACTED DOCUMENT, IN ORIGINAL FORMAT, IS AVAILABLE ON

REQUEST.







THE POLLUTION PROBLEMS IN KUWAIT







1. THE FOLLOWING IS FOR THE RECORD. DURING THE LAST TEN TO

FOURTEEN DAYS (12-26 SEPTEMBER), THE POLLUTION IN KUWAIT FROM

THE OIL WELL FIRES HAS BEEN SIGNIFICANTLY WORSE THAN THE LEVELS

IN JULY AND AUGUST AND HAS APPROACHED THE LEVELS

IN MAY 1991.          SINCE 20 SEPTEMBER THE

SKIES HAVE BEEN DARKENED WITH SMOKE THAT HAS NOT BLOWN OFF AS

THE DAY HAS PROGRESSED. DURING FIVE OF THE LAST SEVEN DAYS, THE

ENTIRE DAY HAS BEEN ESSENTIALLY BLACK/GREY. THE BEST ANALOGY IS

THAT THE SKIES APPEAR AS IF THUNDERSTORMS ARE APPROACHING. THE

DIFFERENCE IS THAT THE SMOKE CLOUDS HAVE NOT CLEARED AWAY AND

THERE IS NO RAIN.

2. THE OTHER INTERESTING FEATURE OF THE LAST TWO WEEKS IS

THAT MANY MISSION PERSONNEL HAVE, FOR THE FIRST TIME IN SEVERAL

MONTHS, COMPLAINED ABOUT SMELLING THE OIL, CONSTANT EYE

IRRITATION,SORE THROATS AND SOME RESPIRATORY DISCOMFORT

MANY CONTACT LENSE

WEARERS HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO WEAR THEIR LENSES. THERE HAS ALSO

BEEN AN INCREASE IN THE PARTICULATES          DROPPING FROM THE

SKY          ON VEHICLES, EYEGLASSES AND SOME

CLOTHING.          STUDYING THE

PROBLEM, THE CURRENT SITUATION IS RELATED TO A DISTINCT CHANGE

IN WIND PATTERNS AND TEMPERATURE AND MAY LAST FOR ANOTHER 30-60

DAYS. THE CURRENT DATA INDICATES HOWEVER, THAT THE LEVELS OF

S02, N02 AND HYDROCARBONS ARE ACCEPTABLE AND HAVE NOT MOVED PAST

DANGER LEVELS. ADDITIONALLY, THE CAPPING OF WELLS IS PROCEEDING

AND AS OF 25 SEPTEMBER, 471 WELLS HAVE BEEN CAPPED.

3. HOWEVER, THE LOCAL KUWAITI POPULATION HAS REACTED

NERVOUSLY TO THE POLLUTION OF THE LAST TWO WEEKS. AT A RECENT

PRESS CONFERENCE IN KUWAIT CITY, MEMBERS OF GREENPEACE DESCRIBED

THE ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTER THAT IS FACING KUWAIT AND CITED DATA,

STATISTICS AND MADE PREDICTIONS OF SHORTENED LIVES AND DAMAGED

ECO-SYSTEMS THAT ARE FAR DIFFERENT THAN THAT PREDICTED

SAID THE GREENPEACE INFORMATION

IS COMPLETELY INACCURATE. IN A NEWSPAPER ARTICLE PRINTED THE

MORNING OF 26 SEPTEMBER AND ENTITLED "SOME OF US ARE LIKELY TO

DIE," IT WAS ANNOUNCED THAT THE KUWAIT ENVIRONMENTAL EMERGENCY

COMMITTEE DEMANDED A SPECIAL BUDGET OF KD ONE MILLION TO

PURCHASE PROTECTIVE FACE MASKS FOR ALL KUWAITI CITIZENS AND

OTHER RESIDENTS OF KUWAIT. THE ARTICLE ALSO FOCUSED ON THE

POSSIBLE DANGEROUS LONG TERM EFFECTS OF THE POLLUTION AND USED

GENEROUS EXCERPTS FROM THE GREENPEACE PRESS CONFERENCE AND THE

HARVARD STUDY.







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