European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 14, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Assignment. Persian Gulf Kuwait struggles with poisoned skies no its not a Volcano. Its a sabotaged Well surrounded by a sea of burning crude Oil that is sanding noxious Clouds thousands of feet Over the desert  dispute the extent of the damage and the health risks Ahmadi Kuwait is ground Zero in the environmental holocaust wrought by the iraqi army. The once Green and Lively town lies blackened and dormant paralysed by the noxious seige of 350 Oil fires. An ugly Black vapor hangs Over the town encrusting each tree car and building. A thin layer of tar carpets the ground. The few adults still living in Ahmadi Seldom venture outside when they do it is with Cotton surgical masks on their faces a although the thin material is useless against the Ultra Fine smoke particles. Birds blinded and soiled by the airborne Oil and smoke flounder on the ground unable to Fly. Children play in the streets their Bare feet caked with soot while an Oil Well Burns unchecked a few Hundred Yards away. Before the War Ahmadi often was cited As the Pride of Kuwait. The Oil company town of 25,000 people was known for its Trees neatly tended lawns and duplex Homes. Now four fifths of the residents have fled and the City is marked not by its greenery but by its Black odoriferous skies. It is the smoke that is killing Nadia Nazzal and she knows it the 53-year-old palestinian woman has spent two of the last four months in a Hospital near her Ahmadi Home suffering from severe Chest pains and shortage of breath. Asthma plagued her As a child but she had been free of the symptoms for 15 years. She has tried several times to return Home but each time the smoke has driven her away within a few Days. Her doctors warn that Ahmadi probably will kill her. Her husband Anwar wants to take her and their 12-year-old daughter out of Kuwait.  the Kuwait Oil co. Has not rehired him after the War a common predicament for palestinians with ties to Jordan. He does no to have the Money to take his family to safety. Quot i watch my wife die. I watch my daughter Wash the Oil from her hair a and i can do nothing about it Quot Anwar said. Quot it is hard for a Man to live with  no one seems certain when Saddam s army blasted its first Well. The Allied military reported the first fire in january. Most sources agree that the real rampage began on feb. 15 when it became Clear that the iraqis would be driven from Kuwait. For two months the fires raged unchecked releasing vast amounts of toxic soot and Gas into the atmosphere. Initially scientists predicted catastrophic environmental damage to the Middle East and warned that the effects of the fires would be Felt around the world perhaps triggering a version of a nuclear  now Many scientists Are backing off the forecasts of global doom saying recent research shows that the damage will be confined to the Middle East. Others however warn that its too soon to accurately assess the implications. Quot this catastrophe is not Over yet Quot said or. Hassan Nasrallah an air pollution climatologist with the Kuwait environmental action team a Volunteer advisory group to the Kuwait government. Quot no one can say if the damage Wilt be worse or better. No one knows because this has never before  smoke from the burning Wells carries cancer causing hydrocarbons As Well As noxious  of which Are lethal. The . World meteorological organization Page 2 the stars and stripes sunday july 14,1991