Considerations for the assessment of environmental consequences of the 1991 Gulf War

Various aspects are discussed of the pollution of the Arabian gulf as a result of the 1991 Gulf war and indicates possible reasons why the overall damage to the subtidal marine ecosystem was less than initially anticipated. War-related contamination is compared with known pre-war pollution in the region. Most surveys on the effects of the war have concentrated on oil-related pollutants and heavy metals, but other hazardous materials could have been released from war-damaged sites and secondary pollutants produced by weathering of the spilled oil could also be of concern. Several recommendations are made for future studies to assess the long-term environmental consequences of the Gulf war.