Textural characteristics of dust fallout and potential effect on public health in Kuwait City and suburbs

The textural and mineralogical characteristics of the dust fallout along with the potential effect on human health were investigated at 12 locations in Kuwait City and suburbs during March 2006-February 2007. Mineralogically, the dust comprises mostly calcite and quartz with grain size ranging from 1 to 25 mu m. Chemically, elements such as Ca, Fe, Mg, and Al are the dominant ones with the highest amount of average percentage concentration 12.89% for Ca. Results showed that humans in the 12 sites are being exposed to different ranges of average percentage concentrations of minerals such as calcite (15.00-51.80%), quartz (26.40-66.9%), albite (6.30-17.30%), dolomite (1.20-10.20%), and gypsum (0.00-6.4%), where site K3 recorded the lowest average concentrations for calcite, dolomite, and gypsum and the highest for quartz, and albite. The elements Ca, Fe, Mg, Al, K, Zn, Na, Cr, and Cd recorded ranges of (5.845-12.890%), (0.946-3.141%), (0.752-2.513%), (0.545-2.261%), (0.059-0.307%), (0.004-0.792%), (0.003-0.018%), (0.001-0.005%) and < 0.0004%, respectively. Inhalation of such concentrations of calcite particles may cause coughing, sneezing, and nasal irritation, and in cases of chronic exposure to excessive oral doses of calcite may produce alkalosis and hypercalcemia. Quartz can have potentially serious respiratory effects following long-term exposure (1 year or more) which is the case here in our study. Comparing with international and local standards, it is highly likely that harmful and hazardous effects on the human body are being experienced by long-term exposure to dust fallout in Kuwait.