An examination of air quality in Kuwait: Implications for environmental sustainability and public health

Kuwait is one of five nations located in the Gulf region characterized by arid-desert climate—extreme hot temperature and dust storms. Frequent dust events elevate fine (PM 2.5 ) and coarse (PM 10 ) particulate matter levels, posing various health risks. Using longitudinal data from 2021-2024, this study identifies and quantifies the impact of dust storms, blowing dust, and dust haze on fine and coarse particulate matter levels. Data is analyzed through a pooled OLS two-way fixed effects model to control for unobserved heterogeneity from long-term and seasonal effects. Meteorological variables and air pollutants are incorporated to account for their impacts. Results indicate that dust storms, while rare, have the strongest impact on elevating fine and coarse particulate matter levels. The relative impacts of blowing dust and dust haze differ, with dust haze playing a larger role in PM 2.5 pollution and blowing dust contributing more to PM 10 levels. These findings have important policy implications for air policy management and public health, emphasizing the need for dust control measures, climate adaptation strategies, and improved air pollution monitoring to mitigate health risks associated with high PM 2.5 and PM 10 levels in Kuwait. • The aim is to examine the impact of dust events on fine and coarse particulate matter. • Dust events are classified into three levels—dust storms, blowing dust, and dust haze. • Dust events vary in their impact on fine (PM 2.5 ) and coarse (PM 10 ) particulate matter. • Climate adaptation strategies are provided to mitigate the effects and limit exposure.