Residents told Arab News they feared that their health might be jeopardized by the odors coming from industrial plants in Yanbu, despite assurances from the Royal Commission of Jubail and Yanbu (RCJY) that there are no risks.
According to commission sources, sulfuric compounds with a very strong odor caused the smells. The amount of sulfur in the gases did not exceed recommended quantities whenever it entered the air, they said.
"Limited wind movement do not help dispel sulfuric gases emitted by the main power station or during the maintenance of one of the major industrial plants," one source said. However, residents are not reassured.
“When this smell appears, we ask our children not to go out for fear that they may develop chest diseases," said resident Abdul Hameed Al-Johani.
He said the smell becomes particularly strong and concentrated late at night.
"The gases will enter the house even if you close all doors and windows and put filters on air conditioners," he added.
Majed Al-Dhibyani, another resident, said that even though the smell is usually there for a few days only, it remains in his nose and memory for a long time. "Though the factories are emitting gases every hour of the day and night, the smells comes at unknown times. We do not know if they are harmful to us or not," he said.
For Ibrahim Al-Johani, smelling these gases is a routine he endures daily. "I pass by the factories every day going to and coming from the office. Whoever passes by these factories will inhale these gases even though all doors and windows are tightly closed," he said.
Badr resident Omar Al-Sobhi said the smell of gases is very strong even though his town is more than 60 km away from Yanbu. "The smell continues for a few hours before it disappears and comes again after a few weeks or months," he said.
Al-Sobhi called for the provision of special equipment to constantly measure air pollution in order to take precautionary measures. "We are ready to evacuate our town if necessary," he said.
Meanwhile, chest specialist Dr. Ghazi Mullah said gases may affect all living creatures including animals, plants and birds when dispersed over a wide area in the air.
"Gases emitted by factories may affect the respiratory system, causing difficulties in breathing and sometimes suffocation in addition to stiffness in the lungs," he said.
He also asked the RCJY to monitor pollution in the air in light of the bad smells.
The RCJY’s director for environmental protection Ahmad Bajahlan said the commission is constantly monitoring the air and the emission of gases from its factories to check for pollution.
"We monitor pollution even in far places such as Yanu Al-Bahr, Badr and Al-Rais district," he said. He added that the commission is checking the quality of air round-the-clock using five fixed stations, in addition to a mobile one.
Bajahlan said the stations are measuring quantities of hydrogen sulphide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, ozone and other pollutants in the air, in addition to other airborne organic compounds such as benzine.