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The sources and levels of endocrine disrupting compounds in Kuwait's coastal areas were investigated. Phthalates, alkylphenols and estrogens were measured in the inflows and outflows of three sewage treatment plants as well as in the seawater and sediments from the sewage impacted coastal areas. Phthalate levels in the inflow of the treatment plants ranged from 8.9 to 78.3μg/l; alkylphenols from 0.7 to 279ng/l and estrogens from 30 to 368ng/l. On average, the treatment plants removed about 80% of these compounds. The outflows, however, contained significant levels of all three classes of compounds. The seawater from the sewage impacted area also contained detectable levels of these compounds. Sediment samples from these locations contained elevated levels of phthalates (ranging from 2145 to 15,722μg/kg) and lower levels of alkylphenols (ranging from 2.49 to 15.14μg/kg) and estrogens (ranging from 4.1 to 214μg/kg, dry wt.)., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Surficial sediment samples were collected from 25 locations within Kuwait Bay and outside the Bay, in the Northwestern Arabian Gulf, to access recent polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon pollution in Kuwait. Time trends in the depositional history of PAHs to this portion of the Arabian Gulf was reconstructed from the analysis of a dated sediment core. Intersite differences in concentration exist although these differences were not statistically significant (p=0.08). However, organic carbon normalized concentrations within Kuwait Bay were 4 times higher than the average concentrations outside the Bay and were shown to be statistically significant (p<0.001). The sedimentary record showed that ΣPAHs concentration fluctuated between 12 and 25ngg -1 before 1970. Concentrations then increased sharply to a maximum of 45ngg -1 around the late 1970s and early 1980s followed by an exponential decrease in concentration to pre-1970 "background" concentrations of between 12 and 25ngg -1 ., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) were measured in three species of fish (yellowfin seabream [Acanthopagrus latus, a predatory fish]; Klunzinger's mullet [Liza klunzingeri, a pelagic fish]; and large-scaled tonguesole [Cynoglossus arel, a demersal fish]) collected from two sites in the northwestern part of the Arabian Gulf, a marginal sea of the tropical Indo-Pacific Ocean. Concentrations of ΣPBDEs ranged from 11 to 57 ng g(-1) lipid weight (lw) for mullet, 5.0-38 ng g(-1) lw for tonguesole, and 2.8-48 ng g(-1) lw for seabream in Kuwait Bay, whereas in the open gulf, concentrations ranged from 6.0 to 160 lw for mullet, 8.3-190 lw for tonguesole, and 7.1-62 for lw for seabream. The congener composition in all species from both sites was dominated by BDEs 47, 99, and 100, which together constituted approximately 90% of the congeners detected. Although no statistically significant intersite differences were found, ΣPBDEs concentrations in mullet were significantly higher than those in seabream (p = 0.01). However, no significant differences existed between mullet and tonguesole (p = 0.28) or between tonguesole and seabream (p = 0.06). ΣPBDE concentrations were negatively correlated with fish mass for all species; however, the correlations were statistically insignificant, suggesting a growth dilution effect.

The concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were measured in surficial sediments receiving industrial and municipal effluents in Kuwait. The SigmaPCB concentrations varied by two orders of magnitude ranging from 0.4 to 84 microg kg(-1) dw. The homologue distribution in the study favored the more chlorinated congeners and generally followed the order: penta-PCBs > hexa-PCBs > tetra-PCBs approximately hepta-PCBs, with the dominant congeners being 138, 101, 110, 180, 153, 132, 149, and 118. The spatial distribution revealed significant intersite difference in concentration, with high levels encountered close to a harbor and several wastewater outlets suggesting that point source input is the primary delivery mechanism of PCBs to the sediment. This study suggests that atmospheric deposition of PCBs may not be a significant delivery mechanism to sediments in Kuwait possibly due to low annual precipitation and high annual temperatures that are experienced in the Arabian Gulf. The implication of this observation is that PCBs in air are likely to remain in the gas phase long enough to be subject to long-range atmospheric transport to other regions.

Polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) concentrations were measured in surficial sediments from coastal sediments receiving industrial and municipal effluents in Kuwait. The summation PBDE concentrations varied by two orders of magnitude ranging from 80 to 3800 pg g(-1)dw. The congener distribution was dominated by BDE 183, with minor contributions from BDEs 154 and 153. The similarity between the congener profile to that of the technical octa formulation (Bromkal 79-8DE) suggests a source of this product in Kuwait. The observed gradient in concentration distribution, with high summation PBDE concentrations near the shore and an exponential decrease seaward, indicates that wastewater discharge from industrial activities in the study area is the primary source of these compounds in the sediments.