BTEX and nitrogen oxides fume assessments in fuel dispense stations and residential areas

Abstract

Fuel vapors are released from storage tanks through vent pipes and from filling pumps fuel dispensary stations. These petroleum-based by-products are introduced into ambient atmospheres and neighboring areas and may become potential health risk. With aim to investigate quantity of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) concentrations at selected fuel dispensing stations within Kuwaiti residential areas, passive samplers were deployed within selected fuel stations and also several residential areas for one week. Findings reveal that concentration of BTEX at the filling stations were significantly elevated than it were for the breathing pipe in residential areas. In short, concentrations of benzene and NOx at both, the fuel stations and the residential areas were slightly above the permissible limit of what organization standard. Emissions escalate during weather change because meteorological variables like temperature and wind direction influence dispersion (R² = 0.91) of noxious compounds in the ambient air. With significant additions of harmful petroleum products into Kuwaiti air, a weary for respiratory and digestive implications may be paving way to cause an ecological uproar. Hence, the government should use this baseline data and provide guidance to fuel dispensary stations for improved method of fuel dispense, improvising fuel storing to minimise temperature change for fuel state preservation and, use of nozzles that increase dispensary speeds while minimising vapour production.