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

• DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2021.117016
• Publication Date: 2021-03-31T03:53:39Z
• Authors: Barrak Alahmad; Ali Al-Hemoud; Choong-Min Kang; Fhaid Almarri; Venkateswarlu Kom...; Jack M. Wolfson; Aaron S. Bernstein; Eric Garshick; Joel Schwartz; Petros Koutrakis
• Keywords: Air Pollutants; Malaysia; Dust; 01 natural sciences; Kuwait; 13. Climate action; Air Pollution; 11. Sustainability; Particulate Matter; Cities; Environmental Monitoring; 0105 earth and related environmental sciences

Kuwait and the Gulf region have a desert, hyper-arid hot climate that makes outdoor air sampling challenging. The is also affected by intense dust storms. Monitoring challenges from harsh limited data needed to inform appropriate regulatory actions address pollution in region. To compare gravimetric measurements with existing networks rely on beta-attenuation desert climate; determine annual levels of PM2.5 PM10 over two-year period Kuwait; assess compliance quality standards; identify quantify sources. We custom-designed particle samplers can withstand large quantities without their inlet becoming overloaded. were placed two populated residential locations, one City another near industrial petrochemical facilities Ali Sabah Al-Salem (ASAS) collect samples for mass elemental analysis. used positive matrix factorization sources apportion contributions. collected 2339 during October 2017 through 2019. method measuring consistently exceeded measurements, especially events. ASAS 41.6 ± 29.0 47.5 27.6 μg/m3, respectively. Annual nearly four times higher than U.S. National Ambient Air Quality Standard. Regional was major contributor both locations accounting 44% 46% ASAS. Dust storms re-suspended road second third largest contributors PM2.5, premise frequent extreme make regulation futile dubious. In this comprehensive particulate analysis, we show sizeable regional anthropogenic warrant national mitigation strategies ensure standards.