[originaltext] When Iraqi troops blew up hundreds of Kuwaiti oil wells at th

When Iraqi troops blew up hundreds of Kuwaiti oil wells at the end of the Gulf War, scientists feared environmental disasters. Would black soot in the smoke from the fires circle the globe and block out the sun?
    Many said "no way"; rain would wash the black soot from the atmosphere. However in America, air-sampling balloons have detected high concentrations of particles similar to those collected in Kuwait.
    Now that the fires are out, scientists are turning their attention to yet another threat: the oil that didn’t catch fire. It has formed huge lakes in the Kuwaiti desert. They trap insects and birds, and poison a variety of other desert animals and plants.
    The only good news is that the oil lakes have out affected the underground water resources. So far, the oil has not been absorbed because of the hard sand just below the surface.
    Nothing, however, stops the oil from evaporating. The resulting poisonous gases are choking nearby residents.
    Officials are trying to .organize a quick cleanup, but they’re not sure how to do it. One possibility is to burn the oil. Get those black soot detectors ready.