Abstract
Background: Petroleum exploration has been associated with diverse health problems in many parts of
the world. There are reports of increased incidences ofhaematological malignancies in the areas where
petroleum exploration is taking place. Petroleum exploration and exploitation has been ongoing in many
countries and people living in these areas have borne the brunt ofthe environmental and health devastation
taking place and efforts are not made to educate these people ofthe hazards they are encountering
Objective: The aim of this review is to highlight the effects of petroleum exploration and the deleterious
effects it has on health and the environment. This is particularly important so that proper documentation of
the disease patterns in these areas are noted and properly managed.
Methods: This review was sourced mainly by Pubmed search using the search terms Petroleum and
cancers. Relevant journals and publications were also consulted.
Results: The major findings of this review was the central role of benzene in the aetiologies of many
haematological malignancies chief among which are Myeloma, Non Hodgkin's lymphoma, childhood
leukaemias and some solid tumors.
Conclusion: The findings from the literature have given a strong argument on some of the basis for the
pathogenesis of these cancers. It has also been seen that in some environment the incidences of these
cancers are very low if present which points to the fact that strict environmental compliance with laid down
regulations have a positive impact on reducing the incidences of these cancers.