Oil
Well Fires and Spills in the 1991 Gulf War
When Iraq’s forces began retreating from Kuwait in February 1991,
they set Kuwaiti oil wells on fire, creating thick blankets of black
smoke and lakes of oil. There were 600 to 750 oil well fires. Approximately
5 million barrels of crude oil burned per day from these oil well
fires. Soon the smoke blanketed the sun and darkness came. Oil well
fires create health hazards because the smoke contains many ingredients
such as soot, liquid, aerosols, mercury, sulfur, nitrogen, dioxins,
and furans. The particles can be carried by the wind, affecting
other countries in the region.
About
8,000,000 million barrels of crude oil was purposely spilled into
the Persian Gulf, creating an environmental hazard to marine life
and birds. Approximately 20,000 birds died. A 12-inch thick oil
slick was created and covered an esimated 400 miles of shoreline.
Only a very small portion of the oil was recovered, about a million
barrels of oil. The oil slick threatened the desalinization plant
at Jubayl, Saudia Arabia. Booms and skimming operations were launched
to protect the plant.
Oil
Trench Fires 2003
Trench fire
just outside Baghdad, 2003
http://www.warinformation.com/Iraqi_Front_Journal/Battle_Journal.htm
The oil fires in 2003
were few in number, compared to 1991. Only seven oil wells were
set on fire by Iraqi forces in the opening hours of the war. There
are still health hazards from the smoke because of the ingredients
in the smoke. Saddam filled trenches with oil and set them on fire
in order to block laser-guided missiles from reaching their targets
through the smoke. The trench fires have cause air pollution and
soil contamination.
The air pollution from
the trench burning oil has cause serious health problems. The estimates
are in the thousands of possible deaths as people breathe in tiny
particles that enter the lungs. The people at greatest risk are
those with respiratory problems. Certain particles are known to
cause cancer. The particles are called "polycyclic aromatic
hydrocarbons (PAHs)" and "PM10s." (BBC News) The
oil fire smoke contains "contaminants such as sulphur, mercury,
dioxins and furans." (BCC News) The soil contamination that
comes from oil well fires and spills seeps into the ground resulting
in ground water pollution or contamination. The pollution has affected
the ecosystem destroying fragile desert regions.
Pollutants from burnt
crude oil (wells or trenches) depends on the mixture and type of
crude oil. The crude oil could contain "hydrogen sulphide (H2S),
water and/or natural gas, and the presence of naturally occurring
radioactivity, especially dissolved radon isotopes as products of
the natural uranium decay series" (Desk Study on the Environment
in Iraq).
The "Desk Study on the Environment
in Iraq" lists the following contaminates:
• Extreme heat
• Carbon monoxide
• Unburned hydrocarbons
• Poly aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)
• Polychlorinated-dibenzo-dioxins and furans
• Carbon soot
• Oxides of sulphur
• Oxides of nitrogen
• Carbon dioxide
• Radon
The extreme heat and
carbon monoxide causes immediate death. The rest of the list causes
chronic problems over a period of time.
Some of the oil wells have been started again to pump oil to aid
in the recovery of Iraq. Satellite
images of the 2003 fires can be seen in the image below.The red
dots are the oil well fires.
NOAA
2003 Iraq oil well fires