petroleum geology, oil pollution, and human health: review of case studies in bushehr province

The composition of the crude oil is variable and mostly related to the geological setting of source and reservoir rocks. the presence of toxic compounds in crude oil is called oil pollution and it remains a threat to marine/ terrestrial ecosystems, menacing environmental sustainability as well as human health. a variety of oil-related hazardous chemicals have been recently reported from coastal environments of bushehr province. however, there is no review on the presence of oil pollutants in the bushehr province and their effects on human health. hence, this review critically examined the most influential research, encompassing main oil pollutants, with a particular focus on their presence in coastal areas of bushehr province and their risks for human health. the gathered data indicate that oil-related activities affected the coastal areas of bushehr province and as expected the areas with the most oil and gas-related activities showed significantly higher pollution. in addition, the human health risks reviewing demonstrated that the possibility of negative adverse effects of oil pollutants in bushehr province is significant especially for vulnerable groups such as pregnant/lactating women and their babies.