The fires burned for months on end, cancelling iraqs previous oil debt with kuwait. Fires are adverse events with tangible costs for property and human life. Media in category kuwaiti oil fires the following 24 files are in this category, out of 24 total. Kuwait oil well fires peaked during the last week of february 1991. The findings of these studies can thus help predict the fate of any smoke generated from the kuwait oil field, regardless of the fact that a nuclear war is not in process. The harvard kuwait public health project performed a comprehensive analysis of the health impact of the 1991 kuwait oil fires, which were set ablaze by iraq just before the first gulf war. The mosul fires began with an initial fire at one or two. This file is licensed under the creative commons attributionshare alike 4. Uncertainty in mortality response to airborne fine. Oct 26, 2016 this map illustrates satellitedetected fires and smoke plumes at oil wells south of mosul, and also east of baiji, iraq. Only about 25% of them had been extinguished by this time. Join the airborne hazards and open burn pit registry to create a snapshot of your health and help us learn more about potential health effects.
The oil fires in kuwait as iraqi troops withdrew from kuwait at the end of the persian gulf conflict, they destroyed more than 700 oil wells in four major oil fields, and about 600 were burning at the end of february 1991. The resulting fires produced several plumes of black and white smoke that. To be used with the article entitled, american farmer snuffed out saddam hussein, by chris. The kuwaiti oil fires were caused by iraqi military forces setting fire to a reported 605 to 732 oil wells along with an unspecified number of oil filled lowlying areas, such as oil lakes and fire trenches, as part of a scorched earth policy while retreating from kuwait in 1991 due to the advances of usled coalition forces in the persian gulf war. Studies using animal models of gulf war illness and related diseases c. Stunder national oceanic and atmospheric administration air resources laboratory 15 east west highway silver spring, maryland, 20910, usa published atmospheric environment, vol 28, no. Oil well fires can be the result of human actions, such as accidents or arson, or natural events, such as lightning. Pdf the kuwait oil fires as seen by landsat researchgate. This paper describes briefly the work on dods kuwait oil fire health risk assessment to date, including the results of a pilot study of health risks, and then answers the questions addressed to ota in pl 102585. Fire intensities can be expressed in terms of the amount of heat generated for each square metre area e. In addition, similar work was done on the longburning fires at the alas oil fields east of baiji and tikrit as their plumes often mingled with the mosul fire plumes. Pdf impact of kuwaits oilfire smoke cloud on the sky of.
The kuwaiti oil fires were caused by iraqi military forces setting fire to a reported 605 to 732 oil. Memorandum to the president regarding kuwait oil fires d. The department of defense kuwait oil health fire risk assessment. The environmental implications of the oil fires generated tremendous. Analysis of the modis fire detection data indicates that an initial fire at one or two wells occurred on 8 may 2016 which lasted less than one day. The importance of hsse message communication how to avoid. Gulf war illness and the health of gulf war veterans. Iraqi forces to retreat and set fire to hundreds of oil wells in the area.
As a part of this exercise, an expert elicitation regarding the health effects of the smoke from the kuwaiti oil fires was conducted. Following their retreat from kuwait during february and march of 1991, the iraqi army set fire to over 500 oil wells dispersed throughout the kuwait oil fields. During the period of sampling from july to august 1991, it was estimated that between 3. The department of defense kuwait oil health fire risk assessment the persian gulf veterans registry 1994, by united states congress office of technology assessment pdf files at princeton filed under.
This background paper describes briefly the work on dods kuwait oil fire health risk. Oil well fires during gulf war va and research organizations continue to evaluate possible causes of gulf war veterans chronic multisymptom illnesses, including exposure to oil well fires. Quantification of the immediate and direct costs of fire provide a metric for understanding the social and economic impact of fire and for assessing progress in fire prevention and protection. Fires are classified by the types of materials that are burning. The government of the state of kuwait v the american. Kuwait oil companys responsibilities under the kpcs umbrella involve the exploration, drilling and production of oil and gas within the state of kuwait. May 15, 2002 the kuwaiti oil well fires began in february 1991 when iraqi troops withdrew from kuwait, setting fire to over half of kuwait s 1,000 oil wells. Smoke plumes from a few of the kuwaiti oil fires on april 7, 1991. Aerosol measurements in the kuwaiti oil fire plume. The kuwaiti oil fires recounts the heroic efforts of private firefighting crews who in 1991 worked to discover new methods to bring the horrific oil well fires of kuwait under control.
One set of modifications, already incorporated into the model and briefly discussed in the original report draxler, 1992, p. Persian gulf war 1991, persian gulf war, 1991 environmental aspects, persian gulf war, 1991 health aspects, oil spills environmental aspects persian gulf region, oil wells fires and fire prevention kuwait, oil wells fires and fire prevention environmental aspects persian gulf region, environmental pollution. A rapid overview of environmental and health risks related. In addition to their physical costs, fires have a range of less immediate and obvious adverse consequences on the natural.
The kuwaiti oil fires were caused by iraqi military forces setting fire to a reported 605 to 732 oil wells along with an unspecified number of oil filled lowlying areas, such as oil lakes and fire trenches, as part of a scorched earth policy while retreating from kuwait in 1991 due to the advances of coalition military forces in the persian gulf war. Solar radiation, optical thickness, ultraviolet radiation. The effects of the kuwaiti oil well fires of 1991 on the atmospheric parameters of bahrain. A rapid overview of environmental and health risks related to. The department of defense kuwait oil health fire risk assessment the persian gulf. Oil wells fires and fire prevention health aspects. Pdf military personnel deployed to the persian gulf war have reported a variety of symptoms attributed to their exposures. The oil field is subdivided into the burgan, magwa and ahmadi sectors based on the underlying geological structure kaufman et al, 2000. Airborne studies of the smoke from the kuwait oil fires pdf. Oil well fires are oil or gas wells that have caught on fire and burn. Only a small portion of the landside cleanup has been completed, and the global effects of the smoke and soot from the fires have proved to be at least as serious and as farreaching as many prewar predictions had foretold.
Early numerical calculations indicated that large quantities of primary air pollutants would be. Pdf a mosaic of two landsat thematic mapper images acquired may 30, 1991, reveals a dark smoke plume 3060 km wide extending hundreds of kilometers. Country total cases new cases total deaths new deaths recovered active cases critical cases. Under akbars direction, kuwait energy sponsored approximately two hundred. Air pollutant exposures due to the kuwait oil fires. A geotechnical and geochemical characterisation of oil fire. Smoke was first visible from satellite images as early as the 9th wmo report, 1991 and when ground hostilities started on the 23rd, a substantial portion of the oil fields were on fire. The department of defense kuwait oil health fire risk. They can exist on a small scale, such as an oil field spill catching fire, or on a huge scale, as in geyserlike jets of flames from ignited high pressure wells. The government of the state of kuwait v the american independent oil company kuwait v aminoil year of the award. At the request of president bush, environmental protection. Classes of fires and extinguishers not all fires are the same. As a result of the oil well burnings, the persian gulf was coated with more than 500 million gallons of oil and is still seeing adverse effects from the spill to this day. Oil that spilled during the war continues to contaminate the gulf, and efforts to recover it are limited and piecemeal.
Discussions include the effects on wildlife, the environment, and the economy of the small country. Other wells were gushing oil and some of the resulting oil lakes also burned. The environmental implications of the oil fires generated tremendous media and scientific interest. B company, 1st battalion, 3rd marines at alburgan oil field, kuwait in gulf war, february 1991.
Fires of kuwait chronicles the international efforts in dealing with the devastation of kuwait s oil fields after iraqi troops retreated in 199 1, setting fire to hundreds of oil wells. Allan bromley, assistant to the president for science and technology, wrote a memo to the president disagreeing with an assessment of the ill affects of the kuwait oil fires, reported in an august 20 letter by dillon ripley. I am report that as of today, of the 610 oil fires the retreating iraqi army, approximately 75 fires these fires are projected to be out remain to be extinguished. Kuwaits oil fires quarterly magazine published by media relations team issue 32nd january 2018 happy year as our usual tradition with the approach of the new year, we are keen to renew our greetings and blessings, and to communicate with you my dear colleagues to receive together a new year, aspiring to achieve many achievements and successes. Air pollutant exposures due to the kuwait oil fires air resources. Notably however, fire detections of oil fires can fluctuate as the thick black smoke produced can obscure the fire itself from the sensor. Vaccines, pyridostigmine bromide, pesticides, kuwaiti oil fires in gulf war veterans b. Bioremediation to treat the worlds worst ever recorded oil.
B company, 1st battalion, 3rd marines at alburgan oil field, kuwait. The company is also involved in the storage of crude oil and delivery to tankers for export. Operation crossroads, marshall islands, 1946 health aspects. In 2006, akbar was behind the creation of oil and gas legislation and regulations in somalia. Studies evaluating depleted uranium exposure in gulf war veterans b. The burning oil wells in kuwait, no doubt, created the worlds largest oil field fire in history. Class b fires can be very difficult to control because they involve burning nonmetals in a liquid state. Crimes against the environment agent orange, napalm, gulf war oil spill, kuwait oil fires, draining of the mesopotamian marshes, nuclear weapons through the ages, the environment has been targeted as a victim or used as a weapon in the conduct of war. This volume contains data and entries from a hazardous materials response and assessment division database of oil.
These fires continued burning until the last fire was extinguished on november 6, 1991. In the 1990s tv series the xfiles, the black oil is believed to be an alien. Hamed sultan sir gerald fitzmaurice timeline of the dispute 24 march 1982 arbitral award. Pdf exposures to the kuwait oil fires and their association with. In 2 years, kuwait recovered at an unmatched speed, producing more petroleum and growing at a greater rapidity and intensity than prior to the war. Three weeks later, when emir jaber iii alsabah 19262006 returned from saudi arabia, the sky above kuwait was blackened by the smoke from seven hundred oil fires, the result of the torching of kuwaits petroleum facilities by the retreating iraqi forces. The kuwaiti oil fires were caused by iraqi military forces setting fire to a reported 605 to 732 oil wells along with an unspecified number of oil filled lowlying areas, such as oil lakes and fire trenches, as part of a scorched earth policy while retreating from kuwait in 1991. The uncontrolled burning of oil from the kuwait fields started during february of 1991. In order to have an idea of sourceterm contaminant levels in the fallout from the smoke plumes, soil samples also were taken in the vicinity of the oil well fires. Combined with the ecological problems caused by the large amounts of smoke and unburnt petroleum falling back to earth, oil well fires such as those seen in kuwait in 1991 can cause enormous economic losses.