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As a result of the Iraqi occupation and the armed conflict in Kuwait 6 to 8 million barrels of crude oil were spilled into the marine environment, and about 2 to 3 million barrels of crude oil, burnt and unburnt, were being emitted daily during about 300 days into the environment from the burning or gushing oil wells. International efforts of UN agencies and other organizations from, the region and outside started immediately to assess the extent of the environmental pollution and to mitigate the adverse effects. In addition to the public health concerns of the air pollution caused by the burning wells, long-term environmental risk should be considered as a result of the oil spill into the marine and coastal environment, and the atmospheric fall-out, e.g., acid rain and petroleum related compounds associated with airborne particulates, in the marine and terrestrial areas. Particularly serious contamination of the desert ecosystem occurred around the damaged oilfields in Kuwait. The deposited crude oil and airborne particulates in the terrestrial areas may also affect the ground-water aquifer. Air quality, marine and desert soil pollution surveys provided data for a preliminary assessment and helped the formulation of mitigation and rehabilitation programmes, however, implementation of an integrated survey programme will ensure the final impact assessment on the environment, particularly on the marine and subsurface water resources.

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An extensive river basin monitoring exercise of 2581 km of the river Danube was carried out in 2001 under of the aegis of the transnational Joint Danube Survey (JDS). Water, suspended and bottom sediment, and biota samples were collected from 76 cross-sections in the Danube main stream and 22 major tributaries during the 39-day cruise, and analysed for chemical and biological variables. During the JDS, oil pollution was characterised with GC-FID and fluorescence measurements. Fluorescence fingerprints of the cyclohexane extracts of water, suspended and bottom sediment samples allowed characterization and quantification of the type and level of oil pollution. The results revealed that the oil pollution in the water varied in the range 1-300 microg/l. Gasoline type contamination was found at the higher concentration levels and diesel oil type in the lower concentrations. Oil contamination was similar in the suspended and bottom sediment (the less than 63 microm grain-size fraction) and varied between 2-140 mg/kg. A higher contamination level was found along the middle Danube reach. The highest concentrations were observed in the suspended sediment upstream of the Danube delta. Weathered crude oil characteristics were observed in the upper Danube basin, whereas between crude and diesel oil characteristics were dominant along most of the middle and the lower Danube reaches.