POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC-HYDROCARBONS IN AMBIENT AIR FOLLOWING THE BURNING OF KUWAITI OIL-WELLS

The concentrations of oil hydrocarbons in the atmosphere of two cities in Saudi Arabia following the burning of the Kuwaiti oil fields were monitored over a period of three months from April to June 1991. Samples of inhalable air particulates (PM-10) and total suspended particulates (TSP) were collected from the cities of Dhahran and Khafji and analyzed for the presence of oil hydrocarbons, especially the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and the aliphatic hydrocarbons. The results of the study have shown that these samples were contaminated with aliphatic hydrocarbons and PAHs. Twenty two PAHs were identified by GC/MS in air particulate samples. The concentration levels of PAHs found in the inhalable (PM-10) air particulate samples collected from Dhahran and Khafji were comparable and ranged between 0.07 to 2.2 ng/m3. The concentrations of the n-alkanes in Dhahran and Khafji ranged between 7.0 to 89.4 ng/m3 and 3.7 to 80.1 ng/m3, respectively. The concentration levels of these pollutants vary from day to day. The highest concentrations of these compounds were measured during very smoky days. Analysis of total suspended particulate (TSP) samples collected from Dhahran and Khafji showed that the mean concentrations of n-alkanes and PAHs in the TSP samples collected from Khafji were about four folds higher than those collected from Dhahran. The concentrations of benzo(a)pyrene and other PAHs in PM-10 samples were lower than the proposed limits set by international organizations and compared favorably with levels found in urban areas in several parts of the world.