Elemental Composition and Concentration of Atmospheric Particulate Matter in Kuwait

Abstract

Hourly PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 samples were simultaneously collected at 10 and 3 urban sites, respectively in Kuwait from March 2014 to February 2015, to study the air quality and heavy metals content and Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons (TPHs) in PM₁₀ samples. The annual average concentrations of PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 were 152 and 97.3 μg/m³, respectively, with an average PM_2.5/PM₁₀ ratio of 70%. The contamination level of heavy metals in PM₁₀ samples was assessed in terms of Enrichment Factor (EF) using mathematical models. The elements associated with an anthropogenic activity in the PM₁₀ samples; i.e., Pb, Cu, Co, Cd and Zn, were 2.4, 12.9, 14.6, 42.6 and 156.2 times higher than the corresponding background values in Kuwait soil. TPH was the dominant pollutant in the PM₁₀ samples. In general, most daily average Air Quality Indices (AQI) of PM₁₀ concentrations fell under the categories of "good" and "moderate"