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CONCERNS REGARDING HEALTH HAZARDS RESULTING

Filename:96622176
PATHFINDER RECORD NUMBER: 22176
GENDATE:         950629
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TEXT:            
ENVELOPE CDSN = LGX800 MCN = 91220/24375 TOR = 912201531
RTTUZYUW RUEKJCS3736 2201515-UUUU--RUEALGX.
ZNR UUUUU
HEADER R 081515Z AUG 91
FM JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC
INFO RUEADWD/OCSA WASHINGTON DC
RUENAAA/CNO WASHINGTON DC
RUEAHQA/CSAF WASHINGTON DC
RUEADWD/PTC WASH DC
RUSNNOA/USCINCEUR VAIHINGEN GE
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RUCJACC/USCINCCENT MACDILL AFB FL//CARA//
RUQYSDG/FOSIF ROTA SP
RUEALGX/SAFE
R 081437Z AUG 91
FM AMEMBASSY KUWAIT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2948
INFO RUEHZM/GCC COLLECTIVE
RUCPDC/USDOC WASHDC
RUFHOL/AMEMBASSY BONN 0024
BT
CONTROLS UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KUWAIT 03736

DEPT FOR NEA/ARP FOR LEAF, OES/ENV, NEA/EX, M/MED
RIYADH FOR RMO
DEPT PASS EPA
USDOC FOR NOAA

E.O. 12356:N/A

/*********** THIS IS A COMBINED MESSAGE ************/
BODY TAGS: SENV, AMED, CASC, AMGT, PREL, KU, BA, QA, SA
SUBJECT: CONCERNS REGARDING HEALTH HAZARDS RESULTING
FROM THE KUWAITI OIL FIRES

REF: A) KUWAIT 3711, B) MANAMA 3603, C) DOHA 2003

1. SUMMARY. POST HAS NOTED THE CONCERNS EXPRESSED IN
BOTH RECENT REGIONAL NEWSPAPER ARTICLES AND IN REPORTING
FROM GULF POSTS (REFS B AND C), CONCERNING THE PRESENCE
OF THE TRACE METALS NICKEL AND VANADIUM IN THE KUWAITI
OIL FIRE SMOKE. WHILE THESE METALS ARE PRESENT IN THE
OIL FIRE SMOKE, THERE ARE NO INDICATIONS THAT THESE
TRACE METALS ARE PRESENT IN SUFFICIENT QUANTITY TO POSE
A THREAT TO HUMAN HEALTH IN THE GULF REGION.
MEASUREMENTS TAKEN IN KUWAIT DEMONSTRATE THAT LEVELS OF
OF BOTH NICKEL AND VANADIUM ARE WELL BELOW THE HEALTH
STANDARDS SUGGESTED BY THE U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
AGENCY (EPA). END SUMMARY

2. EMBASSY KUWAIT HAS NOTED (AND SHARES) THE LEGITIMATE
CONCERN REGARDING THE PRESENCE OF TRACE METALS IN THE
SMOKE FROM THE KUWAITI OIL FIRES. THE ISSUE OF THE
METALS (THE LATEST IN A SERIES OF CONCERNS REGARDING THE
SMOKE), HAS BEEN RAISED IN SEVERAL REGIONAL NEWSPAPERS,
SPARKING CONCERNS FROM LOCAL GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS (REFS
B AND C). IN ORDER TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE
CONTROVERSY, POST ENVIRONMENTAL COORDINATOR, WILL
PENDERGRASS, HAS EVALUATED MEASUREMENTS TAKEN DURING
MARCH AND APRIL AT THE FARWANIYA AIR MONITORING STATION
(FYI: THE FARWANIYA STATION IS LESS THAN SIX MILES FROM
THE BURNING OIL WELLS IN THE GREATER BURGAN RESERVOIR).
THESE SAMPLES WERE TAKEN WHEN THE OIL FIELD SMOKE
PROBLEM WAS AT ITS MOST SEVERE (ONLY 79 WELLS HAD BEEN
CAPPED BY THE END OF APRIL COMPARED TO 279 AS OF AUGUST
7) AND REPRESENT THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE DATA YET
AVAILABLE.

HEALTH EFFECTS OF TRACE METALS
------------------------------

3. NICKEL - ACCORDING THE EPA, THE MOST COMMON HEALTH
PROBLEM ASSOCIATED WITH EXPOSURE TO NICKEL ARE SKIN
ALLERGIES. AN ALLERGIC REACTION WILL OCCUR IN
APPROXIMATELY FIVE PERCENT OF THE EXPOSED POPULATION.
MORE SERIOUSLY, CERTAIN NICKEL COMPOUNDS HAVE BEEN
ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASED CANCER RISK. BASED ON HUMAN
DATA, THE EPA ESTIMATES THAT A LIFETIME EXPOSURE OF 1.0
MICROGRAM/CUBIC METER COULD RESULT IN 2.4 ADDITIONAL
CANCERS PER 10,000 PEOPLE. THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF
OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY RECOMMENDS NO EXPOSURE GREATER THAN
15 MICROGRAMS/CUBIC METER. FOR THE MONTHS OF MARCH AND
APRIL 1991, THE AVERAGE NICKEL CONCENTRATION WAS 0.046
MICROGRAMS/CUBIC METER, OR 20 TIMES BELOW THE LEVEL
REFERENCED IN CANCER ASSESSMENTS.

4. VANADIUM - IN GENERAL, VANADIUM IS CONSIDERED TO
HAVE LOW TOXICITY WITH PRIMARY TOXICITY ASSOCIATED WITH
VANADIUM OXIDES WHICH OCCUR IN SMELTING AND REFINING
OPERATIONS AS WELL AS THE BURNING OF FUEL OIL WHICH
CONTAINS VANADIUM AS A NATURAL CONSTITUENT. VERY LITTLE
INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE ON THE SHORT TERM HEALTH
EFFECTS FROM VANADIUM EXPOSURE. SYMPTOMS EXTEND FROM
EYE IRRITATION TO RESPIRATORY TRACT IRRITATION FOR
EXPOSURE OF 0.3 MILLIGRAM/CUBIC METER. LONG TERM HEALTH
EFFECTS ARE POORLY UNDERSTOOD; CHRONIC STUDIES OF
VANADIUM EXPOSURE ON ANIMALS ARE NOT AVAILABLE. FOR THE
MONTHS OF MARCH AND APRIL 1991 THE AVERAGE VANADIUM
CONCENTRATION MEASURED AT FARWANIYA WAS 0.006
MICROGRAM/CUBIC METER. THIS CONCENTRATION IS SEVERAL
THOUSAND TIMES LOWER THAN THE POINT AT WHICH
RESPIRATORY PROBLEMS HAVE BEEN NOTED.

------------
COMMENT
-------------

5. THE GULF TIMES ARTICLE PRESENTS AN INCOMPLETE
PICTURE OF THE EFFECTS OF THE TRACE METALS, NICKEL AND
VANADIUM ON THE ENVIRONMENT. WHILE THE RELEASE
QUANTITIES APPEAR TO BE QUITE LARGE, IN PERSPECTIVE THEY
ARE QUITE MINIMAL. TO PUT THE QUOTED RELEASE RATES OF

/****** BEGINNING OF SECTION 002 ******/
3000 TONS OF VANADIUM AND 800 TONS OF NICKEL IN
PERSPECTIVE; 2 MILLION TONS OF HIGHLY TOXIC SULFUR
DIOXIDE (S02) ARE RELEASED EACH YEAR IN THE UNITED
STATES. IT SHOULD ALSO BE NOTED THAT NICKEL AND
VANADIUM ARE ASSOCIATED WITH ALL FORMS OF OIL COMBUSTION
AND ARE EMITTED BY BOTH POWER PRODUCTION FACILITIES AND
AUTOMOBLIE ENGINES. WITH RESPECT TO THE QUOTED GROUND
MEASUREMENTS, IT WOULD NOT BE UNUSUAL TO SEE DECREASING
SOIL MEASUREMENTS AWAY FROM KUWAIT. KUWAIT HAS HAD A 45
YEAR HISTORY OF COMMERCIAL OIL PRODUCTION; ALONG WITH
ROUTINE EMISSIONS FROM POWER PRODUCTION AND REFINING
ACTIVITIES, THESE TYPES OF MEASUREMENTS ARE NOT
UNEXPECTED. FOR THAT MATTER, THERE SHOULD BE SIMILAR
"FOOTPRINTS" OF NICKEL AND VANADIUM AROUND MAJOR OIL
PRODUCTION FACILITIES AROUND THE WORLD.

6. SO FAR, THE CONCENTRATION MEASUREMENTS IN KUWAIT FOR
BOTH METALS ARE QUITE LOW. EXTRAPOLATING TO THE REST OF
THE GULF REGION, IT WOULD BE VERY DIFFICULT TO DETECT
VANADIUM AND NICKEL CONCENTRATIONS ABOVE BACKGROUND
LEVELS. IT IS ALSO TRUE THAT THE EMISSION OF NICKEL AND
VANADIUM FROM THE OIL FIRES WILL CONTINUE; HOWEVER, THE
ONLY RELIABLE DATA SO FAR COLLECTED INDICATES THAT THE
RELEASED QUANTITIES ARE VERY MINOR. KENNEDY

ADMIN BT

#3736


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