European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 14, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Assignment persian Gulf the danger comes in Many forms poisoned air burled land mines unexploded bombs and sudden fires a worker flees through the steam and Spray escaping a Well head flare up estimates that the tires Emit up to 2 million tons of Carbon dioxide daily and nearly 5,000 tons of Black soot. It May be years before the health impacts will be known. At first scientists feared that the smoke would Rise into the stratosphere a that area of fast moving air about seven Miles above the Earth a where it could persist for months spread around the Globe Block out sunlight and eventually return to Earth in the form of acid rain the nuclear Winter theory says that soot and dust thrown into the stratosphere by a nuclear War would absorb the suns rays Cool the planet and cause a dramatic drop in temperatures that could destroy crops leading to starvation. The possibility that the massive Oil fires in Kuwait could Lead to a similar situation is unlikely according to scientists from the . National science foundation which last week completed an analysis of the smoke Cloud. Soot and fumes from the blazes Are rising Only 12,000 to 15,000 feet into the atmosphere less than half the distance necessary for significant global effects they said. Still environmentalists Are alarmed that traces of soot have been found thousands of Miles away at Mauna Loa Hawaii. Blackened Snow also has been reported in the Himalayas. A More immediate concern the american scientists said is the Impact in the persian Gulf Region. Sul uric acid rain has been reported in Iran Pakistan Afghanistan and the Southern soviet Union which Are in the path of the prevailing winds. The world meteorological organization says that the fires dump More than 40,000 tons of Fulfur dioxide which forms the acid rain into the atmosphere daily. That a equal to the combined emissions of France Germany and great Britain. Even the most dense smoke Clouds become invisible to the naked Eye after 100 or 150 Miles essentially because the larger soot particles drop away. But monitoring equipment has shown that the fires plume the area of most intense pollution has fanned out Over in an area 800 Miles Long a roughly the distance from new York City to the tip of Florida. L just what is in the plume and the risk it poses Are the subjects of some dispute. In March a team of International experts including some from the . Environmental Protection Agency concluded there were no threatening amounts of Fulfur dioxide or worse Hydrogen sulfite a the Gas with the Rotten egg smell that can kill humans outright a being detected in the Region. The scientists did find High concentrations of soot in the air but detected no alarming Levels of toxic chemicals attached to that soot. Nevertheless Kuwait and the surrounding area will experience some of the highest Levels of air pollution in the world in the next year up to four times the highest Levels in los Angeles said University of California pollution experts. Even soot Low i toxins poses a threat. The particles Are Small enough to enter the lungs which physicians say can trigger asthma attacks and cause serious immediate harm to people already suffering from respiratory problems. The recent National science foundation study concluded that the effects of the Oil Well smoke on the environment is Quot More benign and a a isolated than initially thought the study sanctioned bythe Bush administration has angered environmentalists who assert that the . Will use the study As a reason not to become involved in helping clean up Kuwait. Quot in a outraged at the report Epa brought Back Quot said Brent Blackwelder vice president for policy for the environmental group friends of the Earth. Quot it reads As if they d visited a neighbourhood Bonfire to Toast some  the National science foundation report also has drawn fire for being premature and incomplete. The findings were based a solely on data collected during flights Over Kuwait and was issued before air and soil samples had been fully tested. A i have to suspect a report issued before All the research was in Quot said Michael Renner of the world watch organization. Quot i think the scientists May have been predisposed to their  Renner also accused the government of being concerned Only about whether the fires would affect the United states not about the damage to the Middle East. The most urgent need however is to get the fires put out and on this Issue the Kuwait government has been a frequent target of criticism. While the country loses 5 million barrels of Oil a Day a almost 5 percent of the world consumption a the ruling Al Sabah family angers environmentalists and firefighters with its slowness in responding to the recommendations of experts. Quot in this Trade we need All the help we can get Quot Veteran Oil Well firefighter red Adair told the Senate persian Gulf environmental task Force in june. Quot its about time somebody Over there started straightening out what s going  Adair accused the kuwaiti government of stalling payments for equipment desperately needed by the firefighters in Hopes of finding a better Deal. The result he said was that some of the equipment being used is Quot a pile of junk Quot Quot they hired us to do this Job but they done to want to take our advice a said Raymond Henry Adair a senior firefighter. Quot Well suggest something and they want to mull it Over decide How much it will Cost and act like they Don t think we know what the hell we re talking about Quot Adair s is one of three american companies hired to fight the fires. A Canadian company also has signed a contract with Kuwait. At last count about 18 f Wells had been extinguished and the government is predicting the fires will be out by mid-1992. Those figures Are either grossly optimistic or deliberately misleading say the critics Quot they Are More concerned about the country s image than they Are about making it a place people want to come Home to Quot said Michael Bailey of the environmental group Earth Trust. Adair told the Senate panel that most of the Wells that had been extinguished could be classified As Quot easy  some Wells including those that Emit High continued on Page 8 sunday july 14, 1991 the stars and stripes a Page 3