He said he had some reservations about the research, such as a lack of detail about exactly how far from the plant the camels lived, and whether they roamed the nearby desert - where they potentially could have ingested heavy metals while browsing vegetation.

“These findings may be of public interest and call attention to the assessment of the impact of the petroleum industry on the environment and the health of nearby communities,” the researchers wrote.ĭr Ulrich Wernery, scientific director of the Central Veterinary Research Laboratory (CVRL) in Dubai, who was not connected to the study, said that effects the camels suffered were probably because of the food or water they ate, rather than because of pollutants in the air. Liver and kidney tissue samples were examined under the microscope and greatest abnormalities were found in camels closest to the facility, with their liver tissue containing fat droplets and evidence of fibrosis or scarring. Lead has been associated with kidney and brain damage, anaemia and weakness when ingested by humans.Ī type of chemical imbalance called oxidative stress and a form of cell death named apoptosis were also more common in camels living close to the plant. Some samples were from living camels, while others were collected from animals slaughtered for human consumption.Īs well as finding elevated levels of lead in the camels and in the soil near the petroleum plant, the researchers detected larger amounts of cadmium, nickel and vanadium, all of which are heavy metals. The researchers, based in Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the UK, measured levels of heavy metals in the milk, blood, muscle, liver, and kidney of camels from the three sites.

Material was also collected from camels at a site several hundred kilometres inland from Al Jubail, and from camels living roughly halfway between the two. Liver and kidney tissue samples were examined under the microscope and greatest abnormalities were found in camels closest to the facility.

Camel stuck in quicksand camel family