Study of haematological parameters of lubricating engine oil factory workers and controls in Nnewi, South-East Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Products of crude oil, including benzene and its derivatives, exert adverse cytotoxic and suppressive effects on blood cells, particularly the hematopoietic precursors in the bone marrow. Objective: To determine the effect of exposure to lubricating oil on hematological parameters and how these are influenced by alcohol consumption in factory workers in Nnewi, South-East Nigeria. Subjects and Methods: A total of 50 nonsmoking lubricating oil factory workers and 50 apparently healthy nonoil factory workers were recruited for this study. A volume of 3 ml of venous blood was collected from each participant for full blood count, using automated hematology analyzer (PE-6800, Prokan ; ). Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 16.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago IL, USA). The level of statistical significance was P Results: The mean ages of study subjects and controls were 29.00 ± 6.06 and 30.55 ± 5.47 years, respectively ( P = 0.37). The means of red blood cell count, hemoglobin concentration, hematocrit, red cell indices and white cell and differential counts were significantly lower in the study subjects than controls ( P values all Conclusion: Occupational exposure to lubricating oils appears to suppress hematopoiesis, in a manner that may be independent of the duration of exposure.