Platelet Count, Bleeding Time, and Coagulation Parameters Among Gasoline-Exposed Gas Station Workers in Zawia, Surman, and Sabratha, Libya
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54361/LJMR.20.2.74Keywords:
gas station workers, benzene, platelet count, bleeding time, coagulation, occupational exposureAbstract
Background: Benzene is a common pollutant in gasoline station workplaces, where workers may be exposed through inhalation and dermal contact. Benzene is hematotoxic and can affect bone marrow function, but findings on platelet count and platelet function at low occupational exposure levels remain inconsistent. This study examined platelet count and function among gasoline station workers in Zawia, Surman, and Sabratha cities, Libya. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional comparative study included 150 gasoline station workers and 60 control subjects. Venous blood samples were collected for complete blood count and coagulation testing. Platelet counts were measured using an automated haematology analyser (Sysmex XP-300). Bleeding time was measured using the Duke method, and Wright-stained peripheral blood smears were examined microscopically to assess platelet morphology and aggregation. Results: Overall, gasoline-exposed workers had platelet counts and bleeding times within reference ranges. Platelet count did not differ significantly between exposed workers and controls (p= 0.382), and bleeding time was also not significantly different (p= 0.196). Regional analysis showed a significant difference in platelet count among workers from the three cities, with lower values in Zawia than in Surman and Sabratha (p= 0.018). PT, PTT, and INR did not differ significantly between exposed and control groups, although regional differences were observed among exposed workers. Conclusion: Within the limitations of the cross-sectional design and the absence of direct benzene exposure measurements, occupational gasoline exposure was not associated with significant overall differences in platelet count, bleeding time, PT, PTT, or INR. The observed regional differences and the very limited use of personal protective equipment indicate the need for routine medical surveillance, exposure monitoring, and stronger occupational safety practices.
Downloads
References
1. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Benzene [Internet]. Washington (DC): U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; 2012 [cited 2026 Aug 12]. Available from: https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2016-09/documents/benzene.pdf
2. IARC Working Group on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans. Benzene. Lyon (FR): International Agency for Research on Cancer; 2018. (IARC Monographs on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans; vol. 120).
3. Snyder R. Leukemia and benzene. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2012;9(8):2875-93. doi:10.3390/ijerph9082875.
4. Sun R, Cao M, Zhang J, Yang W, Wei H, Meng X, et al. Benzene exposure alters expression of enzymes involved in fatty acid β-oxidation in male C3H/He mice. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2016;13(11):1068. doi:10.3390/ijerph13111068.
5. Wang L, He X, Bi Y, Ma Q. Stem cell and benzene-induced malignancy and hematotoxicity. Chem Res Toxicol. 2012;25(7):1303-15. doi:10.1021/tx3001169.
6. Lan Q, Zhang L, Li G, Vermeulen R, Weinberg RS, Dosemeci M, et al. Hematotoxicity in workers exposed to low levels of benzene. Science. 2004;306(5702):1774-6. doi:10.1126/science.1102443.
7. Rothman N, Li GL, Dosemeci M, Bechtold WE, Marti GE, Wang YZ, et al. Hematotoxicity among Chinese workers heavily exposed to benzene. Am J Ind Med. 1996;29(3):236-46. doi:10.1002/(SICI)1097-0274(199603)29:3<236::AID-AJIM3>3.0.CO;2-O.
8. Binsaleh NK, Eltayeb R, Bashir EM, Idris HME, Althobiti MM, Ahmed HG, et al. Insight into hematological parameters of petrol station workers. Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci. 2024;28(8):3135-43. doi:10.26355/eurrev_202404_36029.
9. Koh DH, Jeon HK, Lee SG, Ryu HW. The relationship between low-level benzene exposure and blood cell counts in Korean workers. Occup Environ Med. 2015;72(6):421-7. doi:10.1136/oemed-2014-102227.
10. Huang J, Zhao M, Wang P, Li X, Ma L, Zhang J, et al. Effects of low concentrations of benzene exposure on levels of platelet-associated antibodies and platelet parameters. J Occup Environ Med. 2014;56(10):e92-e97. doi:10.1097/JOM.0000000000000288.
11. Guo H, Ahn S, Zhang L. Benzene-associated immunosuppression and chronic inflammation in humans: a systematic review. Occup Environ Med. 2021;78(5):377-84. doi:10.1136/oemed-2020-106517.
12. Wang J, Guo X, Chen Y, Zhang W, Ren J, Gao A. Association between benzene exposure, serum levels of cytokines and hematological measures in Chinese workers: a cross-sectional study. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf. 2021;207:111562. doi:10.1016/j.ecoenv.2020.111562.
13. Harrison P. Platelet function analysis. Blood Rev. 2005;19(2):111-23. doi:10.1016/j.blre.2004.05.002.
14. Lordkipanidzé M. Platelet function tests. Semin Thromb Hemost. 2016;42(3):258-67. doi:10.1055/s-0035-1564834.
15. Gawaz M, Langer H, May AE. Platelets in inflammation and atherogenesis. J Clin Invest. 2005;115(12):3378-84. doi:10.1172/JCI27196.
16. Oruzhov RA, Zhafarova RA. Blood coagulation system in chronic benzene poisoning via inhalation. Kazan Med Zh. 2017;98(5):758-63. doi:10.17750/KMJ2017-758.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Libyan Journal of Medical Research
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Open Access Policy
Libyan journal of medical Research (LJMR).is an open journal, therefore there are no fees required for downloading any publication from the journal website by authors, readers, and institution.
The journal applies the license of CC BY (a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license). This license allows authors to keep ownership f the copyright of their papers. But this license permits any user to download , print out, extract, reuse, archive, and distribute the article, so long as appropriate credit is given to the authors and the source of the work.
The license ensures that the article will be available as widely as possible and that the article can be included in any scientific archive.
Editorial Policy
The publication of an article in a peer reviewed journal is an essential model for Libyan journal of medical Research (LJMR). It is necessary to agree upon standards of expected ethical behavior for all parties involved in the act of publishing: the author, the journal editorial, the peer reviewer and the publisher.
Any manuscript or substantial parts of it, submitted to the journal must not be under consideration by any other journal. In general, the manuscript should not have already been published in any journal or other citable form, although it may have been deposited on a preprint server. Authors are required to ensure that no material submitted as part of a manuscript infringes existing copyrights, or the rights of a third party.
Authorship Policy
The manuscript authorship should be limited to those who have made a significant contribution and intellectual input to the research submitted to the journal, including design, performance, interpretation of the reported study, and writing the manuscript. All those who have made significant contributions should be listed as co-authors.
Others who have participated in certain substantive aspects of the manuscript but without intellectual input should only be recognized in the acknowledgements section of the manuscript. Also, one of the authors should be selected as the corresponding author to communicate with the journal and approve the final version of the manuscript for publication in the LJMR.
Peer-review Policy
- All the manuscripts submitted to LJMR will be subjected to the double-blinded peer-review process;
- The manuscript will be reviewed by two suitable experts in the respective subject area.
- Reports of all the reviewers will be considered while deciding on acceptance/revision or rejection of a manuscript.
- Editor-In-Chief will make the final decision, based on the reviewer’s comments.
- Editor-In-Chief can ask one or more advisory board members for their suggestions upon a manuscript, before making the final decision.
- Associate editor and review editors provide administrative support to maintain the integrity of the peer-review process.
- In case, authors challenge the editor’s negative decision with suitable arguments, the manuscript can be sent to one more reviewer and the final decision will be made based upon his recommendations.
https://portal.issn.org/resource/ISSN/2413-6069
