Estimating the concentration of uranium in some environmental samples in Kuwait after the 1991 gulf war

The concentration of uranium in Kuwait soil samples as well as in solid fall-out and surface air-suspended matter samples has been assayed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). It was found that average U concentration in the soil samples (not, vert, similar0.7 μg/g) is half of that in solid fall-out and air particulate matter samples. The average U concentration in the latter samples in the summer season was 2 μg g−1 and decreased to 1 μg g−1 during the winter of 1993/94. The higher concentration in the solid fall-out and air samples cannot be explained by fall-out from the oil fired power station as the U average concentration of the escaping fly ashes from the station was only 0.22 μg g−1. The uranium concentration in the tap water was a very low 0.02 μg L−1. The total per capita annual intake of uranium via inhalation by Kuwait inhabitants was appraised to be similar, equals 0.05 Bq, which is < 0.2% of the recommended annual limit on intake for members of the general population.