File: 950925_96412695.txt
Page: 96412695
Total Pages: 1
KUWAIT AIR QUALITY UPDATE: SEPTEMBER CHEMICAL Filename:96412695 PATHFINDER RECORD NUMBER: 12695 GENDATE: 950629 NNNN TEXT: ENVELOPE CDSN = LGX285 MCN = 91284/14209 TOR = 912841041 PTTUZYUW RUEKJCS5019 2841041-UUUU--RUEALGX. ZNR UUUUU HEADER P 111041Z OCT 91 FM JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC INFO RUFGAID/USEUCOM AIDES VAIHINGEN GE RUCJACC/USCINCCENT MACDILL AFB FL//CARA// RUEALGX/SAFE P 111036Z OCT 91 FM AMEMBASSY KUWAIT TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3875 INFO RUEHZM/GCC COLLECTIVE RUCPDC/USDOC WASHDC RUEATRS/TREASURY WASHDC RHEBAAA/DOE WASHDC RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC BT CONTROLS UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KUWAIT 05019 DEPT FOR NEA/ARP, EB/OGE AND OES:RAVEN-HAMILTON DEPT ALSO FOR NEA/EX AND M/MED DEPT PASS TO ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY USDOC FOR NOAA E.O. 12356: N/A /*********** THIS IS A COMBINED MESSAGE ************/ BODY TAGS: SENV, EPET, CASC, AMGT, AMED, KU SUBJECT: KUWAIT AIR QUALITY UPDATE: SEPTEMBER CHEMICAL POLLUTANT LEVELS REF: KUWAIT 4562 1. SUMMARY: THE KUWAIT ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION DEPARTMENT'S AIR QUALITY READINGS FOR SEPTEMBER INDICATE CONTINUED GOOD AIR QUALITY FOR KUWAIT, DESPITE A SEASONAL CHANGE IN WEATHER PATTERNS THAT BROUGHT OCCASIONAL PERIODS OF LIGHT WINDS, GRAY SKIES AND HIGH HUMIDITY. ONLY CARBON MONOXIDE READINGS EXCEEDED HEALTH ALERT LEVELS DURING SEPTEMBER, AND EVEN IN THOSE CASES HIGH READINGS WERE CONFINED TO RELATIVELY BRIEF (LESS THAN TWO HOURS) PERIODS DURING THE MORNING AND EVENING RUSH HOURS. END SUMMARY ----------- METEOROLOGY ----------- 2. LIGHT AND VARIABLE WINDS TOWARDS THE END OF SEPTEMBER PRODUCED SEVERAL DAYS OF GRAY SKIES, MORNING FOG AND HIGH HUMIDITY IN KUWAIT CITY, THAT WAS BROKEN BY A SET OF HEAVY RAINSTORMS OCTOBER 1, 2 AND 3. OVER THE PAST WEEK, SKIES HAVE CLEARED, HUMIDITY HAS DROPPED, TEMPERATURES HAVE MODERATED AND AIR QUALITY HAS REMAINED GOOD. --------- OIL FIRES --------- 3. AS OF OCTOBER 10, FIREFIGHTERS HAVE CAPPED 566 OF THE 749 DAMAGED WELLS IN KUWAIT. MOREOVER, OVER THE PAST SIX WEEKS ALONE, FIREFIGHTERS HAVE CAPPED 221 WELLS, FOR AN AVERAGE OF ALMOST 6 PER DAY. AS A RESULT, ONLY 183 WELLS NOW REMAIN TO BE CONTROLLED, PREDOMINANTLY IN THE RAUDATAIN AND SABRIYAH FIELDS IN THE NORTH, AND IN THE SOUTHEAST CORNER OF THE BURGAN FIELD SOUTH OF KUWAIT CITY. ------------ PARTICULATES ------------ 4. NO NEW DATA. SEPTEMBER INFORMATION SHOULD BE AVAILABLE NEXT WEEK. ---------- POLLUTANTS ---------- 5. THE KUWAIT ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION DEPARTMENT HAS PROVIDED DATA ON GASEOUS POLLUTANT LEVELS IN SEPTEMBER FROM TWO OF ITS THREE FIXED AIR QUALITY MONITORING STATIONS (MANSORIYA AND RIGA, BUT NOT JAHRA). AT MANSORIYA, THE AVERAGE SULFUR DIOXIDE CONCENTRATION WAS .0020 PPM, WITH A PEAK DAILY MAXIMUM READING OF .009 PPM. AT RIGA, THE AVERAGE SULFUR DIOXIDE CONCENTRATION WAS .0011, WITH A .013 PPM PEAK DAILY READING. BOTH SETS OF NUMBERS ARE FAR BELOW THE U.S. HEALTH ALERT LEVEL OF .300 PPM. 6. THE AVERAGE OZONE CONCENTRATION FOR MANSORIYA IN SEPTEMBER WAS .0154 PPM, WITH A PEAK DAILY READING OF .045 PPM. AT THE RIGA SITE, THE AVERAGE CONCENTRATION WAS .0047 PPM AND THE PEAK DAILY READING WAS .041 PPM. BOTH SETS OF CONCENTRATIONS WERE AGAIN FAR BELOW THE U.S. HEALTH ALERT LEVEL OF .200 PPM. 7. SIMILARLY, THE AVERAGE CONCENTRATION OF NITROGEN DIOXIDE AT MANSORIYA DURING SEPTEMBER WAS ONLY .0183 PPM, WITH A PEAK DAILY READING OF .383 PPM. AT THE RIGA SITE, THE AVERAGE CONCENTRATION WAS .0208 PPM, WITH A PEAK DAILY READING OF .264 PPM. AS IN THE CASE OF THE OTHER CHEMICAL POLLUTANTS, BOTH SETS OF CONCENTRATIONS WERE WELL BELOW THE U.S. HEALTH ALERT LEVEL OF .6 PPM. /****** BEGINNING OF SECTION 002 ******/ E.O. 12356: N/A 8. FINALLY, THE AVERAGE CARBON MONOXIDE CONCENTRATION FOR THE MANSORIYA SITE WAS 1.325 PPM, WITH A PEAK DAILY READING OF 23.00 PPM. AT THE RIGA SITE, THE AVERAGE CONCENTRATION WAS 1.160 PPM, WITH A PEAK DAILY READING OF 40.82 PPM. IN BOTH CASES, THE PEAK DAILY READINGS EXCEEDED THE U.S. HEALTH ALERT LEVEL OF 15 PPM. HOWEVER, THE U.S. HEALTH ALERT LEVEL IS DEFINED FOR AN EXPOSURE OF AT LEAST 8 HOURS, WHILE, IN KUWAIT, READINGS IN EXCESS OF THE U.S. HEALTH ALERT LEVEL HAVE NEVER LASTED FOR MORE THAN ONE TO TWO HOURS. KEPD ATTRIBUTES THIS TWICE DAILY RISE IN CO READINGS TO MORNING AND EVENING RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC. IT HAS ALSO TOLD US THAT IT WILL CALL A HEALTH ALERT IF CO CONCENTRATIONS EXCEED 15 PPM FOR THREE HOURS OR MORE. ------------- HEAVY METALS ------------ 9. KEPD HAS ALSO SHARED WITH US THE INITIAL CHEMICAL ANALYSIS, INCLUDING THE HEAVY METAL ANALYSIS, OF THE PARTICULATES COLLECTED AT THE MANSORIYA, RIGA AND JAHRA BETWEEN MAY 5 AND JUNE 30. UNFORTUNATELY, WE ARE NOT IN A POSITION TO INTERPRET THIS DATA, AND HAVE FAXED THE ENTIRE PACKAGE TO OES/ENV FOR GARY USREY. ------ CAVEAT ------ 10. ALL OF THE DATA CITED ABOVE ARE PRELIMINARY AND INCOMPLETE AND SHOULD NOT BE CONSTRUED AS A DEFINITIVE DESCRIPTION OF AIR QUALITY CONDITIONS THROUGHOUT KUWAIT. IN MOST CASES, THE DATA REPRESENTS CONDITIONS AT ONLY A FEW SITES IN KUWAIT. MOREOVER, WEATHER CONDITIONS COULD CHANGE OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL MONTHS, PRODUCING MUCH MORE SEVERE AIR POLLUTION CONDITIONS THAN EXPERIENCED THUS FAR. KENNEDY ADMIN BT #5019 INFODATE: 0
| First Page | Prev Page | Next Page | Back
to Text |