I’m a recent hire in Dhahran, living in camp. The air quality is very poor. Is it like this year round? I’m concerned about long term health consequences of living in this environment. Any experiences?
Thank you.
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There are two new rigs VERY close to the camp boundary on the Jebel Heights side.
Readings are probably off the scale, but according to Aramco if you don’t measure it, it doesn’t exist.
The unmistakable smell of H2S is in the air sometimes. They used to have meters in the camp when the drilling rigs were closer.
Anyone know what that stench is at the moment? Smells acidic…
I have a hand held meter and can verify the poor air quality.
That’s very close to my house. F me it’s 150 Hazardous again today... Seems fewer than 30 days a year is actually considered healthy….
Aramco should literally have a health warning on all job ads.
SAIP drops in under a month, cannot wait to leave this polluted cesspit.
IQair also has an app called AirVisual. This includes a station set up by an anon user in the camp. I also bought a portable meter and directly see how bad it is outside.
Someone has now setup a monitoring station in Khobar on aciqn…we’ll see how long that lasts before it gets shut down…
And oh man….It’s dreadful reading, enough to send anyone home. Literally taking years off your life living in Dhahran.
https://aqicn.org/station/saudi-arabia/al-khubar/
Thanks for the advice, appreciated.
I first heard it over 30 years ago. Anyone who came out to the ME for an extended period of time ended up developing allergies. This included me.
I understand. I was there many many years for the almighty $$$. I know many of our friends who had to go to JHAH every week or so, to get allergy shots, which didn't really alleviate their condition. Wife and I always had to clear our throats every few seconds. Glad we got out unscathed. Now doing fine.
Every time I go back home, I'd buy the vent filter I can cut to size (AllerTech VentGuard Vent Filtration Kit). Home Depot has the 3M brand. As one of the posters mentioned here, it will turn grey really quick so you will have to replace every 2-3 weeks. When I ran out, I just Mcgyver those disposable towels you can get from the gym lol. All the best!
Thanks @Hktf+1kd5e0P7. I’ve only been here a short time so long way off $ being enough.
I live in the apartments at jebels so cannot access filters of AC system.
Can advise how to go about filters in air vents inside home please.
Thanks.
If the $$$ is enough then go before your health gets worse. If not, then clean the air filter in the furnace at least once a week, limit your time outside, tape up the windows to keep them shut, buy good quality air purifiers and put air filters on all vents inside the house. I wouldn't seek treatment from JHAH, they'll just pump you up with more chemicals.
I’m the OP. Have been coughing a lot for past weeks, especially at night. Went to the doctor. She diagnosed I am having an “allergic reaction to the environment” from ‘pollution, dust or mould” Given antihistamines and an inhaler. I’ve had no such issues in the past.
@Bikt+1kd5e0P7 They didn’t put that in the onboarding material! Any more info available on asbestos in the hills houses?
This is why those that stay long term and are smart live in Bahrain. Your health isn’t negotiable.
When I was in the hills I had filters taped over my AC inlet and outlet vents and they would clog up with grey sl--e every 3 weeks. I have air purifiers in every room. I taped the windows closed.
Can’t imagine how bad it is for small children growing up breathing this filthy air.
Thanks @Bikt+1kd5e0P7. When did the 2 mbbl occur? I live in the 'new' apartments in JH where the water is said to be sweet throughout (unlike one tap in the hills). However, not sure I trust how it's been treated e.g. still smells of chlorine. I wouldn't be surprised if some HC in it. What projects are ongoing for that?
I assume there's no asbestos in the new builds but not surprised to hear that it's in the hills. Doesn't mean the newer ones are healthy though. The air has an odd odour.
Where to source incidence of health problems? I imagine that's swept under the rug.
(I've heard that air cons ducts have been privately serviced by residents and full of black and green mould. This effing place)
Some days the air is noticeably tinged with HC / H2S smell.
Water below DH hills is contaminated by 2mbbl since years ago and this causes skin cancer bone marrow c and others there are projects going on for that > air contains rubber and carbon residue from nearby morning fires plus biggest refinery emissions reported to affect any outdoor activity > houses have asbestos or similar materials and a type of fu---s that causes pleural inflammation and chronic problems> check the incidence of skin lung colon maladies affecting expats staying here 10+ years doctors nurses know this
Water below DH hills is contaminated by 2mbbl since years ago and this causes skin cancer bone marrow c and others there are projects going on for that > air contains rubber and carbon residue from nearby morning fires plus biggest refinery emissions reported to affect any outdoor activity > houses have asbestos or similar materials and a type of fu---s that causes pleural inflammation and chronic problems> check the incidence of skin lung colon maladies affecting expats staying here 10+ years doctors nurses know this
Good link!
The hidden truth: https://www.thelayoff.com/post/@OP+1bZwAONu
Breathing issues go away after a couple of weeks on repat. Completely gone now that I'm retired. But, but, according to google, KSA has a moderate to good air quality. That hydrocarbon smell and dust are obviously desirable components in the air you breathe? Hmm, I wonder who sponsored the study lol.
@kwjk+1kd5e0P7 Must be a local manager, fortunately you can’t shut down the internet.
Go back to watching YouTube, messing around on your phone and backstabbing other staff.
This site is all about critical thoughts and opinions. If you had a brain cell you might actually learn something.
Because this is a discussion forum you a**piece
Troll. Go home if you’re not happy . Google it if you want more info. Why post this on this website?!
Besides the electric air filters, go to amazon and but the "vera air vent filters". We velco'ed these to the outside of both the intake and outtake vents. After a month, they will turn gray/black with the dust they collect. Just keep relacing them. You can cut them to size. Also ask housing to clean your vents. If it hasn't been done in the past 10 years, they should send an outside company to your home to clean them. Ours had never been done and they were disgusting.
Yikes! According to Iq air quality it's pretty bad there. Most of middle east and Asia has very bad air quality.
The houses are also very poorly maintained, recauk the window and sliding door frames and fit seals to doors, this will reduce the ingress of sand and dust that your HEPA filters have to process. The other issue if you are in accommodation near a refinery, gas plant or oil processing facility is the pollution is even worse.
Use your saco gift card to buy some air filter machines and have them all round the house running all the time. I never trusted the in built air con filters (very old, no spare parts etc). Stay indoors when very dusty outside. Dust and health reports are generally all watered-down so you can't trust anything from any official bodies.
Just buy a couple of hepa air purifying u it's and run them all the time in your house.
That's what we did
Don’t bother with monitor. Just buy a good quality air filter for use in your house. Spend a good amount and get a good one. You end up spending a lot of time indoors anyway so enjoy good quality air watching tv, asleep, around the bar, etc. . Don’t get paranoid though about being outside. Enjoy the beach, golf, bike, run, etc. just avoid during dust storms. IQAir site (app) has reliable readings.
Thanks for the replies. I’m monitoring the camp air quality using a couple of websites. The PM2.5 is always several X factors above safe limits. I’m told it gets worse in the summer. It will be a limiting factor for me in my time here.
Always seemed bad in my time there from 2002 -2020. Also, the skies always seemed gray. We always used to see the Asians wearing masks.
You can buy an air quality monitor on Amazon. I had one. Based on constantly monitoring the air for a couple of years, I can tell you that it's unhealthy about 50% of the time. Wind direction and speed is a factor. Sand plus discharge from refineries are a bad combination.
To make matters worse, the residences used to have cleanable filters in the air intakes. Now, they have installed fixed ones that you can't clean. Air quality was one of many reasons that I left.