A two-year assessment of particulate air pollution and sources in Kuwait

Affiliations


Abstract

Background: Kuwait and the Gulf region have a desert, hyper-arid and hot climate that makes outdoor air sampling challenging. The region is also affected by intense dust storms. Monitoring challenges from the harsh climate have limited data needed to inform appropriate regulatory actions to address air pollution in the region.

Objectives: To compare gravimetric measurements with existing networks that rely on beta-attenuation measurements in a desert climate; determine the annual levels of PM2.5 and PM10 over a two-year period in Kuwait; assess compliance with air quality standards; and identify and quantify PM2.5 sources.

Methods: We custom-designed particle samplers that can withstand large quantities of dust without their inlet becoming overloaded. The samplers were placed in two populated residential locations, one in Kuwait City and another near industrial and petrochemical facilities in Ali Sabah Al-Salem (ASAS) to collect PM2.5 and PM10 samples for mass and elemental analysis. We used positive matrix factorization to identify PM2.5 sources and apportion their contributions.

Results: We collected 2339 samples during the period October 2017 through October 2019. The beta-attenuation method in measuring PM2.5 consistently exceeded gravimetric measurements, especially during dust events. The annual levels for PM2.5 in Kuwait City and ASAS were 41.6 ± 29.0 and 47.5 ± 27.6 μg/m3, respectively. Annual PM2.5 levels in Kuwait were nearly four times higher than the U.S. National Ambient Air Quality Standard. Regional pollution was a major contributor to PM2.5 levels in both locations accounting for 44% in Kuwait City and 46% in ASAS. Dust storms and re-suspended road dust were the second and third largest contributors to PM2.5, respectively.

Conclusions: The premise that frequent and extreme dust storms make air quality regulation futile is dubious. In this comprehensive particulate pollution analysis, we show that the sizeable regional anthropogenic particulate sources warrant national and regional mitigation strategies to ensure compliance with air quality standards.

Keywords: Air pollution; Air quality; BAM; Dust storms; Kuwait; Source apportionment.


Similar articles

Assessment of respirable particulates in two residential areas of Kuwait State during dusty and nondusty storms: A time-series comparative study.

Zaki G, Issa A, Refaat A, Eid W, Abdel-Aziz AA.J Egypt Public Health Assoc. 2017 Jun 1;92(2):128-136. doi: 10.21608/epx.2018.8950.PMID: 30184410

Temporal variations of fine and coarse particulate matter sources in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Lim CC, Thurston GD, Shamy M, Alghamdi M, Khoder M, Mohorjy AM, Alkhalaf AK, Brocato J, Chen LC, Costa M.J Air Waste Manag Assoc. 2018 Feb;68(2):123-138. doi: 10.1080/10962247.2017.1344158. Epub 2018 Jan 16.PMID: 28635552 Free PMC article.

Estimation of ambient PM2.5 in Iraq and Kuwait from 2001 to 2018 using machine learning and remote sensing.

Li J, Garshick E, Hart JE, Li L, Shi L, Al-Hemoud A, Huang S, Koutrakis P.Environ Int. 2021 Jun;151:106445. doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2021.106445. Epub 2021 Feb 19.PMID: 33618328 Free PMC article.

Characteristics of Major Air Pollutants in China.

Ren L, Yang W, Bai Z.Adv Exp Med Biol. 2017;1017:7-26. doi: 10.1007/978-981-10-5657-4_2.PMID: 29177957 Review.

Ambient Air Quality Standards and Policies in Eastern Mediterranean Countries: A Review.

Faridi S, Krzyzanowski M, Cohen AJ, Malkawi M, Moh'd Safi HA, Yousefian F, Azimi F, Naddafi K, Momeniha F, Niazi S, Amini H, Künzli N, Shamsipour M, Mokammel A, Roostaei V, Hassanvand MS.Int J Public Health. 2023 Feb 20;68:1605352. doi: 10.3389/ijph.2023.1605352. eCollection 2023.PMID: 36891223 Free PMC article. Review.


Cited by

Burden of fine air pollution on mortality in the desert climate of Kuwait.

Alahmad B, Li J, Achilleos S, Al-Mulla F, Al-Hemoud A, Koutrakis P.J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol. 2023 Jun 15. doi: 10.1038/s41370-023-00565-7. Online ahead of print.PMID: 37322149

Estimation of fine particulate matter in an arid area from visibility based on machine learning.

Li J, Kang CM, Wolfson JM, Alahmad B, Al-Hemoud A, Garshick E, Koutrakis P.J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol. 2022 Nov;32(6):926-931. doi: 10.1038/s41370-022-00480-3. Epub 2022 Sep 23.PMID: 36151455 Free PMC article.

Air Pollution and Respiratory Hospital Admissions in Kuwait: The Epidemiological Applicability of Predicted PM2.5 in Arid Regions.

Albahar S, Li J, Al-Zoughool M, Al-Hemoud A, Gasana J, Aldashti H, Alahmad B.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 May 15;19(10):5998. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19105998.PMID: 35627536 Free PMC article.

Sampling Low Air Pollution Concentrations at a Neighborhood Scale in a Desert U.S. Metropolis with Volatile Weather Patterns.

Lothrop N, Lopez-Galvez N, Canales RA, O'Rourke MK, Guerra S, Beamer P.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Mar 8;19(6):3173. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19063173.PMID: 35328861 Free PMC article.


KMEL References