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The relationship between particulate matter and economic growth, as well as the relationship between economic growth and Greenhouse Gas emissions, has been the topic of considerable investigations over the past two decades. Kuwait has a hot, dry, and desert climate that makes the outside air affected by natural and other unnatural factors. Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5) samples were monthly collected for a 41-years (from 1980 to 2021) over the state of Kuwait. This study presents a detailed investigation of possible correlation and regression analysis between PM2.5 mass column concentration and socioeconomic factors, and they are as follows: GDP per Capita (GDPP), Greenhouse Gas emissions, and population density during the same period. The correlation between per Capita GDP and PM2.5 concentration is statistically positive and supported at the highest level of significance. The Greenhouse Gas emissions and population density proportion exhibit significant positive effects, demonstrating that these two factors strongly affect PM2.5 pollution. The results of the regression analysis for Kuwait shows a significant positive relationship between GDP per Capita and PM2.5, all of which remained significant at the 1% level. The consequence of the increase in per Capita GDP, according to the results reported in the study, should be an increase in the level of PM2.5 column density and vice versa. A significant positive correlation with a value of 0.8805 was found between Physiological Equivalent Temperature (PET) in extremely hot years and Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Human activities lead to an environmental imbalance, and this will certainly affect future generations, so what is required to do is to feel a moral responsibility towards the environment around us. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID‐19) has affected millions of people all over the world and killed hundreds of thousands. Atmospheric conditions can play a fundamental role in the transmission of a virus. The relationship between several atmospheric variables and the transmission of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) are therefore investigated in this study, in which the State of Kuwait, which has a hot, arid climate, is considered during free movement (without restriction), partial lockdown (partial restrictions), and full lockdown (full restriction). The relationship between the infection rate, growth rate, and doubling time for SARS‐CoV‐2 and atmospheric variables are also investigated in this study. Daily data describing the number of COVID‐19 cases and atmospheric variables, such as temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, visibility, and solar radiation, were collected for the period February 24 to May 30, 2020. Stochastic models were employed to analyze how atmospheric variables can affect the transmission of SARS‐CoV‐2. The normal and lognormal probability and cumulative density functions (PDF and CDF) were applied to analyze the relationship between atmospheric variables and COVID‐19 cases. The Spearman's rank correlation test and multiple regression model were used to investigate the correlation of the studied variables with the transmission of SARS‐CoV‐2 and to confirm the findings obtained from the stochastic models. The results indicate that relative humidity had a significant negative correlation with the number of COVID‐19 cases, whereas positive correlations were observed for cases of infection and temperature, wind speed, and visibility. The infection rate for SARS‐CoV‐2 is directly proportional to the air temperature, wind speed, and visibility, whereas inversely related to the humidity. The lowest growth rate and longest doubling time of the COVID‐19 infection occurred during the full lockdown period. The results in this study may help the World Health Organization (WHO) make specific recommendations about the outbreak of COVID‐19 for decision‐makers around the world. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2022;18:500–516. © 2021 SETAC KEY POINTS: We investigated the association between atmospheric variables and the transmission of the COVID‐19 virus during the free movement (without restriction), partial lockdown (partial restrictions), and full lockdown (full restriction) periods.Relative humidity had a significant negative association with the number of COVID‐19 infected cases.The COVID‐19 infected cases were positively associated with the increase in temperature, wind speed, and visibility.The lowest growth rate and highest doubling time of the COVID‐19 infection occurred in the full lockdown period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wastewater collection systems can be a source of odors that lead to complaints from plant workers, the public, and nearby property owners. The primary source of odors released from such systems is the presence of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) gas at high concentrations. This study was conducted in the main pumping station in Kuwait with a capacity of 570,000 m3/day to assess H2S gas emission, determine factors affecting H2S generation, and evaluate the effectiveness of the odor control system comprising stripping using sodium hydroxide and carbon adsorption. Yearly data on wastewater flow rate, temperature, pH, BOD5, and H2S were obtained from plant records over the years 2013–2015, as well as monthly data measurements were conducted during May to December 2016, and weekly data were collected during a plant monitoring program in March and April 2017. Statistical analysis showed seasonal, daily, and hourly variations in H2S concentrations, with higher values reported in summer, cyclic hourly patterns obtained daily, and peak H2S level of 10 ppm recorded at 7 pm and 40 °C. The ANOVA test indicated that the wastewater temperature, flow rate, and BOD5 were statistically significant factors affecting the formation of hydrogen sulfide gas because of the strong correlation and a p value less than the significance level of 0.05. It was evident that the wastewater temperature is the most influential factor. A model was developed to predict H2S emission. The odor control system used in the station proved to be highly effective and able to remove up to 99.9% of H2S released from wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As waste production exponentially increases, landfill continues to be the common method of waste disposal. Landfills represent significant anthropogenic sources of methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2); the main constituents of greenhouse gases (GHGs) resultant from microbial decomposition of organic waste. In the present study, ISC-AERMOD dispersion model was employed to estimate the release and dispersion rates of CH4 and CO2 from major landfill sites across Kuwait under different seasonal conditions. Results revealed that dispersions of CH4 and CO2 were influenced by the dominant northwestern and southeastern wind directions and thus, the dispersion of CH4 and CO2 extended predominantly toward northeastern direction. In terms of seasonal variation, the maximum concentrations of CH4 and CO2 were detected in winter and spring seasons, close to the landfill zone, and the dispersion of CH4 and CO2 fluxes during winter and spring seasons was longer than that during summer and fall seasons. Consequently, residential areas close to the disposal sites were exposed to higher concentrations of CH4 and CO2 gases during winter and spring. The findings of this study can serve as the basis for selecting suitable landfill locations under desert climatic conditions as determined by the distances over which gaseous emissions can diffuse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is limited information on the effect of characteristics of soil in the arid regions on the transport of pollutants. Al-Qurain landfill site is located about 1.5 km from the Arabian Gulf shoreline in Kuwait. The site was operated as an open dump and was designed without a liner or leachate collection system. This study was performed after 35 years of the site closure to investigate the quality of soil, leachate, and groundwater in its vicinity. A total of 25 test boreholes and 17 observation wells were used for the investigation. Analysis of soil, leachate, and groundwater samples shows high concentrations of organics (COD), nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus), heavy metals, and minerals. Aging of the landfill has its impact on performance of landfill which was reflected on the characteristics of soil, leachate, and groundwater. The principal pollutants in leachate were COD, ammonia, and heavy metals as landfill age increased. A good indicator of landfill aging was the very low (0.04) BOD/COD ratio and BOD decay rate constant of 0.027/year. Water samples were also heavily polluted and their organic content ranged between 9 and 255 mg/L as BOD and 38 and 15,052 mg/L as COD. Solids levels in the water samples from the observation wells were generally higher than those typically reported in groundwater. The results showed that the mobility of the heavy metal was largely element-dependent. The organic content of the landfill played an important role in such mobility. This suggests segregation of waste disposed in landfills and replacing the open dumps by sanitary landfills to avoid such high long-term pollution that affects the site rehabilitation plans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Desalination plants are located along the Kuwait Bay which receives the hypersaline brine effluent discharged from such plants. Kuwait Bay is a semi-enclosed water body that suffers from various pollution loads. The bay covers an area of 735 km² and has 130 km coastline. It is a unique ecosystem in Kuwait’s territorial waters. This study presents a new approach, which integrates the water quality index with the GIS technology, to assess the impact of desalination plants on Kuwait Bay. The water quality of the bay was determined by a number of parameters. The water quality index was used to translate a set of a large number of variables to a single value describing the water quality to be used in the management of the bay’s water, as communicated to policy makers, service personnel, and the public. In this study, the World Health Organization maximum permissible limit values and Kuwait Environment Public Authority water quality standards were used to compare with the results of GIS analysis. The water quality index was consistently higher than 75 in the winter season and higher than 100 in the summer season, showing that the Kuwait Bay is suffering from a very poor to unsuitable water quality all over the year due to the discharge of desalination plants brines and other polluted effluents. GIS mapping was used to indicate the most affected areas in the bay. For a rehabilitation plan, new locations for the outfalls are proposed based on GIS mapping. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study determined Ni and V levels in brines produced by seawater desalination plants using the multi-stage flash distillation process and in the produced water generated at oil fields in Kuwait, and developed an ion-exchange system to remove such metals. Ni concentrations in brine blowdown varied from 0.558 to 1.167 mg L-1, while V levels ranged between 0.181 and 0.923 mg L-1, which are about two times higher than those of seawater feed since contaminants from corrosion of pipes and chemical inhibitors used to find their way in the brines. Produced water from oil fields has much higher Ni and V concentrations than seawater. Such concentrations greatly exceed the permissible levels set by environmental authorities. A cation-exchange resin with high sorption selectivity for Ni and V proved very effective as removal efficiencies up to 98% were obtained, and removals were consistently higher than 80% as the metal concentration increased 50 times. Design parameters and breakthrough curves were determined for the system used. The resin beads can be readily regenerated with 1 M NaOH and 1 M HNO3 for repeated use without any significant capacity loss. The system used proved to be a viable alternative to other traditional treatment processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dust storms (DS) are considered a common environmental phenomenon in numerous countries of the world, especially in the arid and semi-arid regions. DS causes a significant impact on human health, climate, the environment and many associated socioeconomic factors. The main goal of this study is to assess the sources of DS in the State of Kuwait. The present study investigates DS over Kuwait using the backward trajectories' simulation with MODIS satellite observations at various latitudes (1000, 3000, 5000 m) during the four seasons; winter, spring, summer, and fall. The trajectories' simulation was modeled using the HYSPLIT model to create the seasonal climatologic of air parcel trajectories. The meteorological data (e.g., visibility, wind speed, wind direction, temperature, and humidity) were collected during a 12-year period from 2000 to 2012. Daily trajectories were computed backward for five days from a central origin at several altitudes above the ground surface. The variability of the DS was analyzed daily, monthly, seasonally and annually. A case study on 25 March 2011 and two cases from each season were selected for analysis. The results showed that the HYSPLIT model was consistent with the MODIS satellite images. The sources of DS were identified from both the Sahara Desert and the Arabian Desert. Furthermore, there is a significant influence of the atmospheric conditions on the DS sources. The most influential parameter was visibility, from the west and the northwest direction. The present work provides evidence and suggestions for the origins of DS and is expected to help in establishing guidelines for public protection against dust particles and provides significant information to the concerned officials to take proper actions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The indoor air quality (IAQ) as assessed by PM2.5 (particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of less than 2.5 μm) was measured at indoor settings in various residential houses which were located in different local environments across Kuwait. The indoor house settings included kitchen, living room, and bedrooms. Samples were collected from houses over 24 h. PM2.5 was estimated using a Dust-Trak personal sampler. Results were analyzed and compared with the US Environmental Protection Agencies (EPA) and World Health Organization (WHO) standards and guidelines. The results demonstrated that kitchens have the highest PM2.5 concentration probably due to cooking activities; the bedroom has the lowest PM2.5 concentration. The study shows that Kuwait indoor residential pollution is among the worst in comparison with other countries. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

As organic solid waste is decomposed in a landfill and mass is lost due to gas and leachate formation, the landfill settles. Settlement of a landfill interferes with the rehabilitation and subsequent use of the landfill site after closure. This study examined the soil/solid waste movement at the Al-Qurain landfill in Kuwait after 15 years of closure as plans are underway for redevelopment of the landfill site that occupies about a km2 with an average depth of 8–15m. Field experiments were conducted for 6 mo to measure soil/solid waste movement and water behavior within the landfill using two settlement plates with a level survey access, Casagrande-type piezometers, pneumatic piezometers, and magnetic probe extensometers. Previous results obtained indicated that biological decomposition of refuse continued after closure of the landfill site. The subsurface water rise enhanced the biological activities, which resulted in the production of increasing quantities of landfill gas. The refuse fill materials recorded a high movement rate under the imposed preloading as a result of an increase in the stress state. Up to 55% of the total movement was observed during the first 2 weeks of fill placement and increased to 80% within the first month of the 6-mo preloading test. Pneumatic piezometers showed an increase in water head, which is attributed to the developed pressure of gases escaping during the preloading period. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Siting municipal solid waste landfills in Kuwait had not considered public concerns about the location of such facilities. Kuwait Municipality has disposed urban waste in abandoned sand quarries for the past 20 years in an unplanned fashion. Due to this improper siting criteria, environmental and health problems have risen from old landfills that are located in residential areas. In an effort to help responsible decision-makers in assessing public support for siting landfills a structured, yet simple, questionnaire was designed and distributed to a random sample of heads of households. Statistical techniques were employed to examine trends and relationships between the sample public responses concerning landfill siting criteria. The findings of the research indicated that a significant percentage of the responding sample did not know about the various landfill impacts and less than 50% were aware of the negative impacts of landfills on the public health and the environment. The visual appearance of the landfill scored the lowest impact in the opinion of the sample public while the most important aspect in siting a landfill appeared to be its economic consideration. The research findings also directed attention to the important role that the media could play in increasing public awareness. Results from the cross-classification analysis demonstrated the existence of differences in awareness levels according to age, nationality, martial status, education, and occupation of the responding sample. Statistically, these differences were significant at the 95% significance level, as supported by the test of the χ-square. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract Background The health burden from exposure to air pollution has been studied in many parts of the world. However, there is limited research on the health effects of air quality in arid areas where sand dust is the primary particulate pollution source. Objective Study the risk of mortality from exposure to poor air quality days in Kuwait. Methods We conducted a time-series analysis using daily visibility as a measure of particulate pollution and non-accidental total mortality from January 2000 through December 2016. A generalized additive Poisson model was used adjusting for time trends, day of week, and temperature. Low visibility (yes/no), defined as visibility lower than the 25th percentile, was used as an indicator of poor air quality days. Dust storm events were also examined. Finally, we examined these associations after stratifying by gender, age group, and nationality (Kuwaitis/non-Kuwaitis). Results There were 73,748 deaths from natural causes in Kuwait during the study period. The rate ratio comparing the mortality rate on low visibility days to high visibility days was 1.01 (95% CI: 0.99–1.03). Similar estimates were observed for dust storms (1.02, 95% CI: 1.00–1.04). Higher and statistically significant estimates were observed among non-Kuwaiti men and non-Kuwaiti adolescents and adults. Conclusion We observed a higher risk of mortality during days with poor air quality in Kuwait from 2000 through 2016. Highlights • The health effects of air quality in arid areas are not well studied. • Studied the acute effect of poor air quality and dust storms on mortality in Kuwait • Time-series analysis using 2000-16 daily visibility and all nonaccidental mortality • People are in higher risk of dying during days with poor air quality in Kuwait. • Non-Kuwaiti people especially men and adults are in higher risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, there has been a growing focus on the issue of exposure to hazardous chemical compounds and the potential health risks associated with them. Fuel stations play a critical role in society, supporting the transportation industry and serving the general public. However, the routine activities at these stations expose workers and customers to dangerous chemical compounds, posing potential health risks. As part of a pilot study, the exposure of workers and customers to hazardous chemical compounds at fuel stations in Kuwait, characterized by its hot and arid environment, was investigated. The study specifically looked at volatile organic compounds (VOC) concentration and their effects on human health. Three hundred-eight air samples were collected in a hot, arid environment, focusing on fuel stations. Two sampling methods were used in this pilot study: personal inhalation exposure using active sampling and workplace air sampling using passive sampling. Samples were collected in fuel filling areas, indoor control rooms, and through personal exposures, adhering to ISO procedures (EPA TO-17). The study also assessed the non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks to human health to potential exposure to hazardous hazardous chemicals. The findings revealed that hazardous chemicals levels in the pump area were lower than those in the indoor control rooms. Workers' inhalation exposure to hazardous chemicals remained below the international occupational exposure limit (OEL). However, the study identified unsafe inhalation exposure levels to Benzene, which could have adverse carcinogenic effects. In contrast, exposure to ethylbenzene was found to be within safe limits, with no associated carcinogenic effects. This study underscores the importance of identifying the risks associated with exposure to hazardous chemical compounds to minimize human health risks and promote a safe working environment.

This paper evaluates the effluent treatment plant of a slaughterhouse in Hawalli City, Kuwait processing 1100 heads of livestock a day. Results indicated that the proposed process effectively reduces pollution potential of slaughterhouse wastewater. Influent Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) ranged from 3335 to 7580 mg L(-1), of which approximately 30% were in the form of suspended solids (SS). Removal efficiency was 77% for soluble COD and 82% for insoluble COD, at a volumetric load of 1.8 kg COD m(-3) d(-1). Values obtained for the biokinetic coefficients, floc uptake (FU), substrate removal efficiency (SRE), specific reaction rate (RR), maximum reaction rate (Rm) and Yield (Y) of the contact tank were higher than the range of values reported for other continuously fed activated sludge systems. In contrast to the contact tank, the aeration basin biokinetic coefficients were within the range of values reported. Contact process testing demonstrated that controlling solid recirculation to maintain a contact loading of about 120-150 mg COD g(-1) VSS in the contact tank generally resulted in high SRE. RR, Rm, and also in good settleability as indicated by SVIs being consistently below 150 mL g(-1). In the other hand, higher contact loadings of more than 150 mg COD g(-1) VSS. resulted in a significant deterioration in SRE, RR, Rm, and SVIs.

This paper evaluates current operational practices in municipal solid waste landfills in Kuwait to provide existing knowledge on uncontrolled landfilling and associated problems of solid waste disposal in developing countries. The current landfilling practices are safe neither for humans nor for the environment. The landfill sites receive all kinds of wastes such as food wastes, oil products, debris, dead animals, agricultural wastes, chemical wastes, wastewater and sewage sludge. The wastes are dumped, spread and compacted in an uncontrolled manner and cover material is not applied regularly. Dust created within the landfill site and gas emissions cause a public nuisance. The characteristics of leachate formed indicate high organic content and presence of heavy metals, salts and nutrients. There are no provisions for leachate or landfill gas collection at the landfill sites. Recommendations for adjustment in landfill operation have been made in recognition of the transition period that is experienced in proceeding from the past and present to the future management of landfills in Kuwait to safeguard the public health and protect the environment.