Gulf oil catastrophe critical

File: 011696_92_4_011.txt
Page: 011
Total Pages: 18




      CESO-1                                        10 April 1991



      MEMORANDUM FOR Mr. William Robertson, CESI


      SUBJECT: Air Pollution Surveillance by DOD  - Kuwaiti oil Fires


      1. Draft memorandum for the Director of Logisitics, Toint Staff
      from the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (Environment)
      requests the JCS assistance in tasking CENTCOM to collect and
      analyze air samples to: (1) assess acute health risks to DOD
      personnel (-military and civilian employees including the corps of
      Engineers) exposed to the smoke from the Kuwait oil fires, and
      (2) evaluate the potential long-term health risk to our
      personnel.

      2. The draft memorandum indicates that the U.S. Army
      Environmental Hygiene Agency (USAPM) stands ready to dispatch
      the requisite air monitoring and health risk assessment team to
      the Kuwaiti theater. It further requests, that if the JCS and
      CENTCOM concurs and provides support, the Army direct USAERA to
      deploy this teamwithin two weeks.

      3. CESO strongly concurs with the content of the DOD draft
      memorandum and recommends that the chief of Engineers also
      concur. We presently have a USACE team in country performing
      mission assigments that present daily exposure hazards
      (inhalation and ingestion of smoke contaminants) that vary in
      severity depending upon the location where the work is being
      performed and the metearological'conditions. Although we are
      taking steps to protect our personnel during normal duty hours,
      especially in area where there is heavy smoke, they cannot wear
      personal protective equipment all the time, i.e. eating,
      sleeping, etc.

      4. The draft requests the air monitoring services'to be
      performed for DOD by the AERA. This seems acceptable in   the
      short term, but it certainly is not the solution for the   long-
      term. As our troops begin to come back home, the dependence upon
n to perform long-term environmental air
      surveillance (during the period until the fires are put out, and
      throughout Kuwaiti reconstruction),is not realistic. The
      potential adverse health effects impact is not just on DOD personnel
      but on all people in the region of the smoke plume. The air
      pollution -monitoring and health effects service would better be
      performed by an organization directly on behalf of the Kuwait
      government or through thd Defense Reconstruction Assistance
      Office. Although the USACE is not in the "public air pollution
      monitoring business", we certainly have a strong background in
      environmental restoration activities. With this background, it
      is important to ensure that the government of Kuwait be made
Box ID = BX000000
Unit = CONST ENG LABS  
Parent Organization = ;CORPS OF ENGS  
Folder Title = SMITH PAPERS POST GULF WAR RECOVERY                                                             
Subject = Gulf oil catastrophe critical
Document Number =         92
Image file name = 00000031.tif