Hematological changes due to chronic exposure to natural gas leakage in polluted areas of Masjid-i-Sulaiman (Khozestan province, Iran)

An overwhelming number of studies have given consistent findings that environmental or occupational exposure to oil products results in a significant decrease in circulating erythrocytes, hemoglobin, platelets, total white blood cells, and absolute numbers of lymphocytes and neutrophils. Some parts of Masjid-i-Sulaiman (located in the southwest of Iran) are contaminated by subsurface leakage of natural gas, which contains a high level of hydrogen sulfide. The amount of all reactive sulfur compounds in air of contaminated areas of MIS was estimated as equal to 0.023±0.002 ppm of SO2. In the present report the hematological findings of 99 persons from polluted areas of MIS were compared with those of 396 individuals from the general population of MIS matched by age (±3 years) and sex. The CBC test and the WBC differential were analyzed in one central laboratory according to standard hematological methods, by Coulter S (Biomedical). The multiple linear regression method was applied in order to detect differences among exposed and unexposed groups for hematological markers. The absolute mean number of red blood cells, percentages of hematocrit, level of hemoglobin, and absolute number of platelets were significantly higher among the exposed subjects compared with the control group. However, the absolute mean numbers of white blood cells, lymphocytes, and neutrophils were significantly decreased in the exposed group compared with the control.