Analysis of Household Hazardous Substances in Kuwait

In the affluent State of Kuwait, every home contains hazardous substances that have the potential for posing risk to life, health, property, or the environment, if improperly consumed, stored, or disposed. A review of the available literature indicates that no recent information exist on the extent of hazardous substances accidents at homes in Kuwait, or on the level of awareness of households concerning these substances. The objectives of this research study were to determine (1) the type and the quantity of hazardous materials most commonly used at homes in Kuwait; (2) the level of awareness of household heads concerning the disposal of these substances; and (3) the extent of hazardous substance-related accidents and injuries occurring at homes. A simple, yet structured questionnaire was designed, pretested, and employed in a person-survey of a random sample of 1,200 household heads providing the database for the study. A profile of the socioeconomic traits of the sample households, common hazardous sub...