At present, the economy of several countries relies completely on the export of fossil fuels. To meet the growing demand of fossil fuels and strengthening the foreign reserve, oil companies in the respective country have to expand to new locations. However, oil extraction being an intricate process leads to manifold undesirable consequences such as oil spills related substantial contamination of the landscape, the environmental pollution, disturbance in the sustainability and biodiversity, and the health disturbances in humans living in the oil field regions. In 2009, Iraq's crude oil production averaged 2.4 million barrels per day, about the same as 2008 levels, and production in March 2016 stood at 4.55 million barrels a day. Millions of gallons of untreated toxic wastes, gas and crude oil are released into the environment. Oil mining mediated pollution may cause damage to humans and the environment. To investigate potential health risks for children living in this area, we recruited a sample of 6–8 year old school children residing within a 5 km radius around the oil field, and a control sample of children of the same age from a school 40 km away from the oil-field. Exfoliated buccal mucosa cells obtained from these children were analyzed applying the micronucleus (MN) cytome assay. Nuclear anomalies were significantly elevated in children living near the oil-field. Micronucleated cells 1.3-fold, nuclear buds 3-folds, binucleated cells 3-folds, karyorrhetic cells 4-folds and karyolysis more than 10 folds. It was shown that children living near to the oil field (with heavy air pollution) have a high level of MN in buccal mucosa cells compared to the control groups for both girls and boys. The frequency of micronuclei indicating genotoxicity increased after exposure. Based on the findings of the present study, air pollutants that generate from oil fields can induce mutagenic effects and cellular death, indicated by cell damage in oral mucosa cells.
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