Kuwait smog

1991/06/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Ingurumena

Hundreds of oil wells that are burning in Kuwait begin to affect the health of its inhabitants.

Ash and smoke have expanded through the atmosphere, making the atmosphere of Kuwait's cities totally polluted. The incidence of pollution is directly related to the type of air. David Shillito, one of the engineers investigating the contamination of the area, says that when the air speed is about 12 meters per second, the dust in the atmosphere will have no effect in the cities.

During the months of June and July, the wind called Shamal can drag the ashes from northern Kuwait to the capital. If this happens, the effect of the famous smog that London suffered in 1950 will be repeated. The components derived from oil combustion are highly harmful, from sulfur dioxide that irritates breathing to benzene and polyaromatic hydrocarbons that produce cancer.

Despite all this, the Minister of Health of Kuwait has begun to take special measures.