THE GULF WAR AFTERMATH ENVIRONMENT & ASSESSMENT VOLUME 4 The titles published in this series are listed at the end of this volume. The Gulf War Aftermath An Environmental Tragedy edited by Muhammad Sadiq Research Institute King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals Dhahran Saudi Arabia and John C. McCain Research Institute King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals Dhahran Saudi Arabia and Texas Christian University Department of Geology Ft. Worth, Texas 71629, USA Springer Science+Business Media, B.V. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Sadiq, Muhammad, 1949- The Gulf Har aftermath an enviranmental tragedy / by Muhammad Sadlq and Jahn C. McCain. p. cm. -- (Envilanment & assessment ; v. 4) Inc 1u des index. ISBN 978-94-010-4737-1 ISBN 978-94-011-1685-5 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-94-011-1685-5 1. Oi 1 Spl 1 ls--Enviranmental aspects--Persian Gulf Regian. 2. Oi 1 wells--Fires and fire preventian--Envlranmental aspects--Persian Gulf Regian. 3. Persian Gulf Har, 1991--Destructian and pi llage. 1. McCaln, Jahn C. (Jahn Charles), 1939- II. Tltle. III. Serles. TD196.P4S24 1993 363.73·82·0916535--dc20 93-15315 ISBN 978-94-010-4737-1 Printed on acid-free paper All Rights Reserved © 1993 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht Originally published by Kluwer Academic Publishers in 1993 No part of the material protected by this copyright notice may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, inc1uding photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the copyright owner. To the Innocent Victims of the Gulf War Table of Contents Acknowledgements ix Foreword Xl Preface xiii Chapter 1. Introduction Chapter 2. Impact of the war on the marine environment 5 Chapter 3. Environmental impact of Kuwait oil fires 59 Chapter 4. Air pollution from the Kuwait oil fires 109 Chapter 5. Air pollution from military operations 159 Chapter 6. Gulf war impact on land resources 183 Chapter 7. Human health and the Gulf crisis 233 Index 279 vii Acknowledgements The Meteorology and Environmental Protection Agency (MEP A) of Saudi Arabia was the focal point within th Kingdom for activities related to the environmental crisis caused by the 1991 Gulf War. MEPA provided the substantial funding to the Research Institute of King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM/RI) to study the environmental impacts of the Gulf Oil Spill and Kuwait Oil Fires. During the Gulf Crisis, the MEPA Planning Committee under Dr. Nazar Tawfiq, appointed a Scientific Committee to coordinate scientific and technical matters relating to the Gulf War impacts. Dr. Abdullah E. Dabbagh, the Director of KFUPM/RI, was the Chairman of the Scientific Committee and Dr. Mohamed B. Amin acted as Co chairman. Their staff at the KFUPM/RI formed the basis of the Committee with representatives from MEPA, the National Commission for Wildlife Conservation and Development (NCWCD), Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Saudi Aramco), and Saudi Arabian Bechtel Company (SABCO) providing pertinent scientific and technical information to the Committee. Many of the discussions held in the Committee broadened our knowledge related to the environmental crisis at hand. We wish to thank the members of these organizations for their contributions during the Gulf Crisis. Seventy-three scientists, technicians, and managers at the KFUPM/RI studiously worked day and night during the Gulf Crisis. In addition, a number of KFUPM faculty members and graduate students worked on a part-time basis. We are deeply indebted to these highly dedicated persons, for it is by their diligent work that we had the necessary data available to produce much of this book. Advisors from around the world came to Saudi Arabia to become part of the International Environmental Team (lET), including scientists from the European Community Council (EC), the United States National Oceano graphic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the United States Fisheries and Wildlife Service (USFWS), and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEP A), Dr. Ibrahim A. Alam of KFUPM/RI was instrumental in cC'ordinating the activities of this team during the crisis. Many of these advisors made significant contributions to our understanding of the ix x Acknowledgements environmental crisis in the Arabian Gulf. We sincerely thank Dr. Alam and the members of the team. Much of the data used for the environmental damage assessment was generated as a result of studies carried out and still being conducted for the Environmental Engineering Division of Saudi Aramco. Saudi Aramco's past and continuing contributions to the assessment of damage caused by the 1991 Gulf Oil Spill deserves special mention. The position of the KFUPM/RI as the focal point for scientific research on the 1991 Gulf Oil Spill was largely due to the continued long-term sustaining research support by Saudi Aramco. Saudi Aramco, in fact, is a major contributor to the damage aSGessment and to this book. We garetfully acknowledge the contribution of the field staff of Earthtrust (25 Kanohe Bay Drive, Kailua, Hawaii 96734, USA) who took the cover photographs. Earthtrust sent the first emergency environ!llental assessment team into Kuwait and assisted the Kuwait government in the effort to control the burning oil wells and to protect the vital shoreline from inundation by the oil spill. Earthtrust is a relatively small, extremely effective environmental organization which depends upon contributions for funding. This organization has paid heavily in funding and in the health of its staff for work on the environmental crisis caused by the Gulf War. Their work during the Gulf War and continued efforts to control whaling, to stop dolphin killing, to ban the use of destructive driftnets, and to eliminate trade in endangered species are sincerely appreciated. We cannot hope to list all those who have contributed in some way to this book; however, there are several people who were particularly helpful and we wish to acknowledge their contributions. Dr. Yusef Fadlallah, Mr. David J. Lennon, and Dr. Andy Y. Kwarteng of KFUPM/RI were of great assistance during the preparation of this book, not only through their research but also by providing editorial comments and reviews. Dr. Blair P. Bremberg (Texas Institute for Applied Environmental Research, Tarleton State University, USA) and Mr. Akhtar Ali Azhar (University of Dallas, USA) conducted literature searches for the authors which proved invaluable. Mr. Abdulmuhsen A. Al Sunaid (Saudi Aramco, Environmental Engineering, Saudi Arabia) was generous in his support by providing air quality and meteorological data. Dr. Khalil M. Al Thagafi (Ministry of Health, Saudi Arabia) provided considerable help by sharing his knowledge of health related literature. In addition, we owe sincere thanks to many of our friends and colleagues who directly or indirectly contributed towards the successful completion of this work. We extend our gratitude to the management of the Research Institute in particular, and to the King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (Dhahran, Saudi Arabia), in general, for their encouragement during this work. Foreword In 1962 Rachel Carson warned of the consequences of man's pollution in her book Silent Spring, a book that some feel marks the real beginning of our environmental awareness. Silent Spring told of the consequences of our increasing pesticide use to birds. Almost 30 years after her warning, the western Arabian Gulf experienced its "silent spring" when approximately 100,000 to 250,000 waterbirds died, along with millions of other organisms, due to the massive oil spill that resulted due to Gulf war. The magnitude of our environmental problems has continued to grow during the last thirty years to a point where even the "doomsday" environmentalists could hardly have envisioned back in 1962. It seems the death of yet uncounted thousands of humans was not sufficient for Saddam Husain. His desire for power and infamy led him to unleash environmental war on mankind. At the end of the Gulf war he set ablaze the oil fields of Kuwait and released more oil into the sea than had been spilled at any time throughout history. These actions were despicable and an affront to civilized man. A quality environment should be a right of all mankind, and to wage war by deliberately polluting the earth cannot be tolerated. In discussing the impacts of the Gulf war with the authors of this book, we found that one of their major concerns was that environmental consequences seemed almost trivial compared to the loss of so many lives in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq. A quality environment can have meaning only if it nurtures human development. In the Gulf region, we have lost that nurturing environment for the moment but we are struggling to regain it. We must strive to maintain a quality environment. By documenting the environmental disaster caused by the Gulf war, this book may help mankind rethink its approach to environmental problems. We lived through the agnony of the Gulf war. We saw our air and sea polluted due to the greed and twisted logic of a cruel man. We worked hard Xl Foreword XlI to combat the pollution caused by a needless war. We hope that this book will help to set the stage for definitive and resolute action to protect and enhance our environment. Dr. Abdallah E. Dabbagh, Director Dr. Mohamed B. Amin, Manager Research Institute Water Resources and Environment Division Kind Fahd University of Petroleum Research Institute & Minerals Kind Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals