The Effects of Noise Exposure on Rat’s Hematologic Parameters and Red Cell Indices

Environmental pollution plays a destructive role in the daily life of industrialized communities and due to their negative impact on the society they are always under close investigation. Besides wellknown pollutants substantial, all major international health organizations consider noise pollution as an important health problem. In this study, we have used an animal model to study the effects of noise exposure on is hematological survey (CBC) and red cell indices. Forty male Winstar rats were randomized into two groups of test and control. Animals in the test group were exposed to a 20 dB unmodulated sinusoidal noise with a frequency of 1100 Hz for 120 days, while animals in the control group were kept in normal condition. By the end of the study, a blood sample was taken from each animal in both groups and a complete blood count was performed. In animals in the test group as compared to those in the control; 1) there was significant (p<0.001) increase in the number of red blood cells, white blood cells, hemoglobin, and hematocrit; 2) there was significant (p<0.001) decrease in mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean cell hemoglobin (MCH), and mean cell hemoglobin concentration (MCHC). It was then concluded that noise exposure affects blood cells.