Talk:Mineral oil

spam
The reference to Dr. Darlene McCord's statements about the dangers of mineral oil are from a website that appears to be a promotion disguised as an academic article for her commercial line of vitamins and skin care products. All links on the webpage seem to be related to "olivamine" and "corneotrophic skin care" which are Dr. McCord's own personal commercial line of mineral-oil free products.

She talks frequently about "studies" that indicate dangers of mineral oil but never gives a link to those studies so that others can check out her interpretation of those conclusions. jlking3 (talk) 21:38, 12 July 2008 (UTC)

Safe for rubber and tires?
This is hot topic and should have something added Telecine Guy

chemical formula
If anyone has the chemical formula of mineral oil, I would find that a useful addition. 206.169.244.20


 * I would say it could be written as CnH2n+2, with n ranging between roughly 5-30, depending on the fraction of the oil. Plus other hydrocarbons, unsaturated and aromatic and cyclic, but mainly alkanes. See alkane for more. --Shaddack 23:06, 4 November 2005 (UTC)


 * I agree this is an interesting issue and deserves better treatment. The following are closely related: mineral oil (as in this article), petrolatum (petroleum jelly), paraffin wax. All are a mix of hydrocarbons, "unsaturated and aromatic and cyclic, but mainly alkanes", as you say. The ones that are more solid at room temperature have have longer chains. So paraffin wax has "between twenty and forty carbon atoms", contains "mostly unbranched alkanes" and is solid at room temperature. Petrolatum has at least some "microcrystalline wax", which in turn "contains a higher percentage of isoparaffinic (branched) hydrocarbons and naphthenic hydrocarbons" (cycloalkanes). The branching makes it stickier. Mineral oil comes in three grades: industrial, cosmetic, and medical. The most important point with the industrial grade is that they are permitted to have up to 25% aromatics (the ones with resonant, 6-sided rings). These are the ones that are highly carcinogenic (some of the famous ones, anyway), so they can't be permitted in cosmetics or vaseline. (I'm just summarizing material from Wikipedia here. More information about the constituents would be welcome.)178.38.85.238 (talk) 16:48, 18 January 2015 (UTC)

"Low Value" versus "Low Cost"
The opening paragraph says "low value"; should this be "low cost". It seems contradictory that a low value substance would be produced in mass quantities. Maybe it is low cost yet highly useful.
 * It's not deliberately mass-produced; it's a by-product of the mass production of gasoline. -Toptomcat 02:28, 13 November 2006 (UTC)

It's a food grade lubricant, baby oil, in sunscreen, lipstick, etc. It seems valuable and yet relatively low cost like other petroleum products. Gatortpk (talk) 20:26, 7 August 2009 (UTC)

What low cost?
Gasoline is currently considered 'expensive' hovering around 3 USD/gallon.

Looking for some mineral oil for a project that would use it as a coolant, I found prices to be around 14 USD/gallon - not what I would consider 'low cost'. Too bad I can't use gasoline as coolant.


 * As an inert fluid for the purpose of electronics cooling, I'd say "low cost" is pretty much correct, considering 3M Fluorinert FC-77 costs $340 US for 1 litre from this supplier.


 * Even in countries with a high fuel tax, I would say that Petrol is not expensive, and diesel is still cheaper. If you buy grill fluid (NAFTA is the main ingredient), it is 20 or 30 percent more expensive, although it may be excempt from carbon taxation. The main division line is that some fueltypes are meassured in litres and bottled, and some in cubic metres. The petrol stations store things in maximum 30 m3, and sell it of in tank-loads. That is the stuff that is heavily taxed, but less expensive. Mineral oil is spoken of as if it is a by-product, but it still is bottled....in US-pints, and therefore not the same magnitude as one cubic decimetre. --83.108.30.25 (talk) 14:48, 25 July 2012 (UTC)

Dermatitis?
Does this mean excessive use on the skin or ingesting mineral oil causes dermatitis? Dermatitis is a skin disease, so it's probably the latter. -Toptomcat 02:28, 13 November 2006 (UTC)

Not Good For The Skin
Mineral Oil is not a toxic waste created when petrol products such as gasoline and motor oil are made. This by-product can be disposed of in our environment, so it is sold very expensively to cosmetic companies who then use it as a base for their products. Mineral oil's molecular structure is too large to be absorbed by the skin, therefore it forms a film on the skin's surface blocking the pores and halting natural respiration and secretion of toxins from the body. Mineral oil is a main ingredient in many cosmetic products and baby oil is just mineral oil with a fragrance.

Chemical and Physical Properties

This article needs a box in the top right to list it's properties. Though this would be further complicated by the many brands available, a ball park figure or example product could be used.

This is the technical specification for the Light Mineral Oil (Industrial NF grade) to be purchased by Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL). The quantity needed is 959,900 liters (253,600 gallons) when measured at 55o F.

The oil must be certified by the manufacturer to have the following properties: * Density: Specific gravity between .76 and .87 - measured via ASTM D 4052 or ASTM D 1298. * Viscosity: < 34.5 cSt at 40o C (< 172 SUS at 100o F) - measured via ASTM D 445. * Color: >+30 Saybolt Color units - measured via ASTM D 156. In addition to these three properties, the oil must meet the following specification: * Attenuation of light at 420 nm - The oil must be water clear. In particular, it must have an attenuation length of greater than 20 m for 420 nm (blue) light. That means that the amount of 420 nm light transmitted through a 1.8 m (6 ft) sample must be no less than 92% of that transmitted through an .2 m (8 in) sample.

cleaning benefits?
The section labeled "cleaning" asserts several useful cleaning applications of mineral oil, yet farther down under "miscellaneous" there is this statement in bold: "Mineral oil is used in most cleaners but has been proven to have no real claeaning benefits!"

Aside from the poor grammar and spelling of that sentence, it directly contradicts the "cleaning" section. The confusing contradiction needs to be clarified with sources cited for either viewpoint or one of the sections should be explicitly disclaimed as opinion or speculation. 69.217.57.236 (talk) 18:35, 29 April 2008 (UTC)

Mineral Oil used as a fuel additive for my car
I added a small amount of mineral oil to my last tankful of gasoline. My 2004 cadillac typically averaged 21-23 mpg on the highway. After adding the mineral oil, my 1st tankful is averaging 25.7 mpg for the same type of driving conditions. (I have a computer on board that gives me my mpg at anytime.) Is this an accident or is there a reason for this? Does anyone know? Would some one else try this and let me know... —Preceding unsigned comment added by 98.30.8.228 (talk) 22:57, 23 June 2008 (UTC)

tree scale
172.129.96.53 (talk) 19:13, 12 October 2008 (UTC)What is the ratio of mineral oil to water to treat tree scale (mites) ?

Mineral Oil, Comedogenic
The author of the article speculates that mineral oil's reputation as being comedogenic is because of industrial grades being used in skin care. No self respecting formulator uses industrial-grade mineral oil in skin care products. Rather, there are varying grades of cosmetic mineral oil, and some of them are more comedogenic than others. Also comedogenic is a relative term, because different people and skin types react differently to a given material. Most likely, however, the comedogenic rap is a myth invented by marketers to get people to buy products made with more expensive synthetic and exotic emollients, in place of cheap mineral oil. Some of them go even further by telling people that mineral oil is an industrial waste product and poison.

The previous comment about mineral oil being toxic waste, and the molecules being too large to be absorbed by the skin is untrue. Mineral oil is composed basically of alkane hydrocarbons which are very unreactive molecules, and some of the most physiologically benign substances known to man. Mineral oil is also absorbed well by the skin, as are most oils (try it). Neither is it sold at high prices to cosmetic companies, but at the market rate, which is quite cheap. It is not a waste product of the petroleum industry, but requires the special processing (hydrogenation) and purification of crude fractions. 71.192.191.207 (talk) 02:42, 28 December 2008 (UTC)

Use with refrigerants ( such as freon)
Mineral oil is the primary compressor lubricant for CFC refrigerants, like R12. However, it should NOT be used with the HCFC refrigerants, currently in use in automobiles. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.179.134.119 (talk) 18:42, 13 January 2009 (UTC)

physical properties
Please add the physical properties of mineral oil. For example, it is said that the temperature limit when used as a coolant (immersion) is 300 degF. -96.233.16.101 (talk) 03:44, 24 May 2009 (UTC)

Possible detrimental effects of medical or cosmetic overuse
I have moved this section to the talk page for reasons I'll explain below. It may look like I'm censoring it but in fact I'm trying to give it a chance to be defended from censoring. The stated adverse effects are too important to just believe them because an anonymous person said so. I happen to believe that having a section like this is justified, and that some of the claims here have at least some basis in fact. The tags are fair and appropriate, but they generate a side effect of their own: when people come to this article and see such a density of  tags, they take it upon themselves to delete the information immediately rather than give other people a chance to find and cite sources.

Therefore, the best approach is to move it here to talk, where no one has any business deleting it, and give the contributor a chance to provide some citations. Once it has some legs in that regard, it can move back to the article and stand on its own merits against anyone who challenges its content. — ¾-10 14:22, 22 February 2010 (UTC)

Mineral oil in cosmetic use is a foreign application or an alien coating on the human skin. Mineral oil is harmful to the skin because it tends to form a thin layer on the skin that resembles a layer of plastic. The human skin is an organ that plays a vital role in the production of vitamin D, in the cooling of the body, and in the ejection of toxins from the body. The thin plastic-like layer that appears after the use of mineral oil–based lotions drastically slows down the process of vitamin D manufacturing. When the human skin is exposed to sunlight, it starts the production of vitamin D, which is important to health. The mineral oil film on the skin prevents it from doing so. The ejection of toxins through the skin is also prevented, and this is not very healthy. Sometimes as the sweating process is hampered, the human body also takes a very long time to cool down. The deposition of oil on the skin, accompanied by the salt and minerals that are present on the human skin, can cause skin itching. An itchy skin can develop into unwanted and painful skin rashes.

Some strange results have appeared in research related to the excessive use of mineral oil. It has been found that the excessive use of mineral oil–based lotions on the skin of infants and elderly people can cause pneumonia-like conditions. Some researchers recommend that pregnant women stop using mineral oil–based cosmetics and possibly even home appliances because of risk of development of pneumonia or other allergic reactions.

There are some very rare side effects of the use of mineral oil, which include nausea, vomiting, and continuous sneezing. Some of the less common side effects also include the malfunctioning of the digestive system and restricted bowel movement.

liquid - solid
"Mineral oil or liquid petroleum is a by-product in the distillation of petroleum to produce gasoline and other petroleum based products from crude oil. It is a transparent, colorless oil composed mainly of alkanes (typically 15 to 40 carbons)"

This cannot be true, at around 20 carbons this oil cannot be liquid anymore. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 194.171.252.100 (talk) 13:46, 22 April 2010 (UTC)
 * Might it be that a modest amount of longer chain alkanes can fully mix with the 15-19 carbon chains and still be a liquid? In other words, perhaps one dissolves in the other up to a limit -- not too much concentration, and not too low a temperature, but still below the melting point of the longer chain. 178.38.85.238 (talk) 22:23, 18 January 2015 (UTC)

Not quite a range
Under the Mechanical, electrical and industrial heading, there is the line "The dielectric constant of mineral oil ranges from 2.3 at 50 °C to 2.3 at 200 °C". It doesn't seem to be a range to me. Is it constant in between, or are these two extremes of a bell-curve like dielectric constant. Alternatively, are these different varieties of mineral oil? 118.208.5.246 (talk) 13:21, 30 June 2010 (UTC)

Odd categorization
Firebreathing gets its own heading in the "applications," but serving as the basis for automotive engine oils is merely listed under "miscellaneous"? Something seems wrong there. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.118.229.114 (talk) 21:56, 14 August 2010 (UTC)

Incorrect reference link
Ref link 12 is incorrect. "Economic Data on Candle and Incense Production and Sales" is actually at http://www.epa.gov/nrmrl/pubs/600r01001/600R01001.pdf Naturally, I've forgotten how to fix such things... (I'm seriously rusty at editing, apologies.)Teceangl (talk) 12:19, 9 October 2010 (UTC)
 * Thanks for the notification. I have updated the URL and access date accordingly. — ¾-10 20:57, 11 October 2010 (UTC)

No Clear Definition
After reading the article you still wonder what the heck "mineral oil" is. Perhaps someone can actually give a definition of it. (EnochBethany (talk) 22:58, 30 April 2011 (UTC))

Duplicate Section (copied from source!)
The paragraph starting "There has been a great deal of work on..." is repeated under Toxicology and Food Preparation, including its reference. Furthermore, "as in (2) above" doesn't appear to reference anything in the article and is unclear, and the final parenthetical "(concerning which enquiries are...)" doesn't make very much sense at all. The overall feel is of text copy/pasted from an outside source without understanding. 81.134.152.4 (talk) 13:53, 16 January 2013 (UTC)


 * Very perceptive! It didn't occur to me that it might be pasted till I followed the link. Indeed, it was lifted straight from the source, so I removed it.


 * Even if reworked, it expresses an opinion from only one source. But in any case the last sentence is not really encyclopedia material.

There has been a great deal of work on the effect of mineral oil in impeding the absorption of fat soluble vitamins A (and precursors) D, E, K and essential fatty acids. There is no doubt that interference with absorption can occur, particularly of carotene if amounts in food exceed approximately 6000 ppm (Steigmann et al., 1952). Whether the amounts likely to appear in the food of children are of clinical importance is much less certain (assuming that it is not used as an   ingredient as in (2) above). But the diets of many of these may contain amounts of these vitamins that are in any case marginal or   inadequate and there seems no reason for the inclusion of mineral oil in foods which are specifically intended for infants with the possible exception of rusks (concerning which enquiries are being made which   will be later reported as they may be subject to the same    contaminating processes as bread).


 * From : FAO Nutrition Meetings Report Series No. 48A WHO/FOOD ADD/70.39. "TOXICOLOGICAL EVALUATION OF SOME EXTRACTION SOLVENTS AND CERTAIN OTHER SUBSTANCES (http://www.inchem.org/documents/jecfa/jecmono/v48aje08.htm) — Preceding [Wikipedia:Signatures|unsigned]] comment added by 178.38.85.238 (talk) 15:56, 18 January 2015 (UTC)

Baby oil???
Wiki's site baby oil redirects to this site. This must be a mistake, because I don't think than anoone uses mineral oil for their baby... --178.197.236.131 (talk) 13:53, 15 May 2014 (UTC)


 * Nope, no mistake; many baby oil products are mineral oil (with a few things added, such as fragrance). The article text already covers this. — ¾-10 01:37, 16 May 2014 (UTC)

&hellip;and what's the use with/on babies ? --Jerome Potts (talk) 13:36, 30 October 2016 (UTC)


 * I second this. I wanted to know what Baby Oil is and it's uses, then get simply redirected back to this page. To take my chances with link rot, here's what I found today: https://www.liveabout.com/what-exactly-is-baby-oil-3013423 --Zom-B (talk) 10:59, 22 September 2018 (UTC)

EU regulation of "food grade" mineral oil is badly sourced
From the article:

Food grade mineral oil has an E number of E905a, although it is not approved in food products in the European Union, and incidental amounts in foods are carefully regulated.

Sourced from: Science Daily - Mineral Oil Contamination In Humans: A Health Problem?

The article text is not supported by the cited source. The source does not mention "food grade mineral oil" nor E905A. It only says that "The European Commission decided to apply a legal limit of 50 mg/kg to the mineral paraffins in Ukrainian sunflower oil" and "certain edible oils, but also certain other foods, like canned fish, frequently contain more than 50 mg/kg mineral oil components, some products us much as 1000 mg/kg". It also say "probably a majority of the mineral oil products are not 'white paraffin oils': they easily contain 30% aromatic components". But this statement only makes sense if it refers to technical (industrial) grade mineral oil, which is allowed to have aromatic components -- but is not used in food.

In any case, the source is a short article in a web magazine, so it's hard to tell what they mean technically. 178.38.85.238 (talk) 17:29, 18 January 2015 (UTC)


 * I removed the poorly cited text.Hu Nhu (talk) 15:20, 19 August 2021 (UTC)

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Laxative
Why is there no mention of Mineral Oil being used as a laxative for humans when that is one of it's most common uses?

Citation:

163.191.13.70 (talk) 21:00, 7 November 2018 (UTC)

Nibba?
Why does it say it is formed from pure nibba? There is nothing on the page of higher alkanes about "nibba". — Preceding unsigned comment added by 208.92.245.50 (talk) 05:54, 28 January 2019 (UTC)