Passive sampler-derived air concentrations for polybrominated diphenyl ethers and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in Kuwait

The present study presents, to our knowledge, the first ambient air data for a range of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Kuwait. This was achieved by concurrently deploying polyurethane foam-disk passive samplers at 14 sites over a six-week period. Calculated mean Sigma 5PBDE concentrations (sum of brominated diphenyl ethers [BDEs] 47, 99, 100, 153, and 154) ranged from 2.5 to 32 pg/m(3) of air, with BDE 47 contributing between 39 and 65% of the Sigma PBDEs detected. Differences in relative concentrations were observed between sites, with higher concentrations measured close to suspected sources. Calculated Sigma PAH concentrations ranged from 5 to 13 ng/m(3) (mean, 8.3 ng/m(3)). The compound distribution was dominated by three- and four-ring compounds, which constituted approximately 90% of the Sigma PAHs, with phenanthrene contributing approximately 35%. However, the proportion of five- and six-ring PAHs increased around the '' oil lakes,'' which were formed by the torching of oil wells during the 1991 Gulf War. The oil lakes are a reservoir of PAHs that will continue feeding the atmosphere as long as they remain untreated.