1.1 What is used mineral-based crankcase
oil? |
1.2 What happens to used mineral-based
crankcase oil when it enters the environment? |
1.3 How might I be exposed to used mineral-based
crankcase oil? |
1.4 How can used mineral-based crankcase
oil enter and leave my body? |
1.5 How can used mineral-based crankcase
oil affect my health? |
1.6 Is there a medical test to determine
whether I have been exposed to used mineral-based crankcase oil? |
1.7 What recommendations has the federal
government made to protect human health? |
1.8 Where can I get more information? |
References |
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September 1997 |
Public Health Statement |
for |
Used Mineral-based Crankcase
Oil |
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This Public Health Statement is the
summary chapter from the Toxicological
Profile for used mineral-based crankcase oil. It is one
in a series of Public Health Statements about hazardous substances
and their health effects. A shorter version, the ToxFAQs™,
is also available. This information is important because this
substance may harm you. The effects of exposure to any hazardous
substance depend on the dose, the duration, how you are exposed,
personal traits and habits, and whether other chemicals are
present. For more information, call the ATSDR Information
Center at 1-888-422-8737.
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This Statement was prepared to give you
information about used mineral-based crankcase oil and to
emphasize the human health effects that may result from exposure
to it. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) identifies
the most serious waste sites in the nation. sites make up
the National Priorities List (NPL) and are the sites targeted
for long-term federal cleanup activities. Used mineral-based
crankcase oil has been found in at least 85 of 1,430 current
or former NPL sites. However, the total number of NPL sites
evaluated is not known. As more sites are evaluated, the number
of sites at which used mineral-based crankcase oil is found
may increase. This information is important because exposure
to used mineral-based crankcase oil may cause harmful health
effects and because these sites are potential or actual sources
of human exposure to used mineral-based crankcase oil.
When a substance is released from a large
area, such as an industrial plant, or from a container, such
as a drum or bottle, it enters the environment. This release
does not always lead to exposure. You can be exposed to a
substance only when you come in contact with it. You may be
exposed by breathing, eating, or drinking substances containing
the substance or by skin contact with it.
If you are exposed to a substance such
as used mineral-based crankcase oil, many factors will determine
whether harmful health effects will occur and what the type
and severity of those health effects will be. These factors
include the dose (how much), the duration (how long), the
route or pathway by which you are exposed (breathing, eating,
drinking, or skin contact), the other chemicals to which you
are exposed, and your individual characteristics such as age,
gender, nutritional status, family traits, life-style, and
state of health.
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1.1
What is used mineral-based crankcase oil? |
Used mineral-based crankcase oil is another
name for used motor oil or used engine oil. It is the brown-to-black,
oily liquid removed from the engine of a motor vehicle when
the oil is changed. Used mineral-based crankcase oil is similar
to unused oil except that it contains additional chemicals
that are produced or that build up in the oil when it is used
as an engine lubricant. Used mineral-based crankcase oil has
many of the characteristics of unused oil. It smells like
unused oil and contains the chemicals found in unused oil.
These include straight chain (aliphatic) hydrocarbons and
aromatic or polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which
are distilled from crude oil, and various additives that improve
the performance of the oil in the engine. Aliphatic hydrocarbons
are defined as molecules with carbon atoms in simple or branched
chains. Aromatic hydrocarbons are compounds with unsaturated
carbons in six-membered rings and with properties similar
to benzene. PAHs are complex organic compounds containing
three or more aromatic rings. In addition to the chemicals
found in unused oil, used mineral-based crankcase oil contains
chemicals that are formed when the oil is exposed to the high
temperatures and pressures inside an engine as it runs. It
also contains metals such as aluminum, chromium, copper, iron,
lead, manganese, nickel, silicon, and tin, that come from
engine parts as they wear down. In addition, used mineral-based
crankcase oil contains small amounts of water, gasoline, antifreeze,
and chemicals that come from gasoline when it burns inside
the engine. The chemicals found in used mineral-based crankcase
oil vary depending on the brand(s) and type of engine oil
used, whether gasoline or diesel fuel was used, the mechanical
condition of the engine that the oil came from, the various
sources of used mineral-based crankcase oil (e.g., automobiles,
airplanes, trains, ships, tractors, lawn mowers), and the
number of miles driven between oil changes. Used mineral-based
crankcase oil is not naturally found in the environment, but
most of the chemicals found in the oil do occur naturally.
A large amount of used mineral-based
crankcase oil is generated each year when motor oil is changed.
It is usually discarded into the environment or recycled,
but some other uses for it exist. Some industries mix used
mineral-based crankcase oil with other oils to produce cutting
oils or other lubricating oils. Used mineral-based crankcase
oil can also be burned. It burns at about 300-400°C, depending
on the mixture of chemicals in the used mineral-based crankcase
oil. It has been used as a fuel in oil burners in homes, as
well as in industrial steam boilers, municipal incinerators,
and rotary cement kilns. It is also used in producing asphalt.
In the past, used mineral-based crankcase oil was also used
on dirt roads to control dust. However, most states currently
restrict this use.
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1.2
What happens to used mineral-based crankcase oil when it enters
the environment? |
Some used mineral-based crankcase oil
enters the air through the exhaust system during engine use.
Used mineral-based crankcase oil may also enter the water
or soil when it is disposed of improperly, for example, when
it is poured into sewers or directly onto the ground. It may
also enter the environment as a result of disposal in landfills,
engine oil leaks, automobile or truck exhaust, and application
onto rural roads for dust control. Some chemicals found in
used mineral-based crankcase oil may be released into the
air when it is used as a fuel in boilers, incinerators, and
cement kilns. The movement in the environment of the chemicals
found in used mineral-based crankcase oil depends on their
individual properties. The hydrocarbon components of the oil
generally stick to the soil surface and do not move through
the soil. If oil is spilled, some hydrocarbons evaporate into
the air very quickly, and others evaporate more slowly. Hydrocarbons
that do not evaporate may stay in the soil for a long time
because they do not dissolve in water and do not generally
break down. Hydrocarbon components of the oil that enter surface
water bind to small particles in the water. They eventually
settle to the bottom where they can stay for many years. These
hydrocarbons may build up in shellfish or other organisms.
Some metals in used mineral-based crankcase oil dissolve in
water and move through the soil easily and may be found in
surface water and groundwater. Groundwater flows slowly underground
and then drains into surface waters such as marshes and lakes.
Most metals found in used mineral-based crankcase oil stay
in the environment for a long time. Thus, metals from used
oils can build up in plants, animals, soil, sediments, and
non-flowing surface water.
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1.3
How might I be exposed to used mineral-based crankcase oil? |
You are most likely to be exposed to
used mineral-based crankcase oil when you change the engine
oil in your car. A small amount of the chemicals in exhaust
fumes comes from used mineral-based crankcase oil. Therefore,
you may be exposed to used mineral-based crankcase oil when
you breathe in exhaust fumes. You may also be exposed to used
mineral-based crankcase oil when it is used to control dust
on rural roads. The waste crankcase oil used for road oiling
comes from service stations or fleet shops. It is mixed with
industrial oils which contain polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs),
chlorodibenzo dioxins (CDDs), and chlorodibenzo furans (CDFs)
which are bad for your health. You may be exposed to these
compounds when you breathe in these compounds as wind-blown
dust. However, most states currently either prohibit or restrict
its use for that purpose. Most people are exposed to very
low levels of used mineral-based crankcase oil. People who
live or work in the vicinity of an active or inactive recycling
facility that recycles used mineral-based crankcase oil may
either breathe fumes found near the facility or come in contact
with contaminated soil, sludge, or sediment. People who work
or live in or near buildings where used mineral-based crankcase
oil is burned for heating fuel may breathe high levels of
metal particles and PAHs.
People who live near landfills can also
be exposed to used mineral-based crankcase oil. A common practice
of people who change the oil in their own vehicles (or do-it-
yourselfers) is to dump it together with other household wastes,
which usually end up in landfills. The waste oil can then
enter the environment and may contaminate crops, farm animals,
or fish and shellfish. If you eat the contaminated food, you
may be exposed to the hydrocarbons and heavy metals present
in the waste oil. You may also be exposed to used mineral-based
crankcase oil by accidental spills during transport. However,
since very small amounts are transported, the environmental
impact of spilled used oil is limited.
There is very little information on the
levels of chemicals in the environment resulting from releases
of used mineral-based crankcase oil. Used mineral-based crankcase
oil is a source of hydrocarbons in storm runoff from bridges,
rivers, streams, and deep as well as surface sediments. However,
in several studies, used mineral-based crankcase oil may be
only one of many sources of the environmental contamination.
Such studies have shown increased levels of various components
of used mineral-based crankcase oil in dust, surface water,
storm runoff, and roadside soil in industrial, commercial,
and residential areas and near highways. Heavy metals, possibly
from used crankcase oil sources and from motor vehicle exhausts,
have been found in the soil near extensively traveled roads
and highways. Surface water samples taken from ponds at an
NPL site that was a recycling facility for used mineral-based
crankcase oil and other used petroleum products were found
to contain chromium, lead, and xylene, respectively.
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1.4
How can used mineral-based crankcase oil enter and leave my
body? |
Used mineral-based crankcase oil is a
mixture of several different chemicals. Whether the chemicals
in used mineral-based crankcase oil are taken up, stored in,
or excreted by the body after exposure depends on the individual
properties of the chemicals in the oil. Studies of cattle
that swallowed used mineral-based crankcase oil showed that
lead and other metals in the oil are absorbed and distributed
to various tissues, such as the liver and kidneys. Studies
in mice showed that the PAHs that build up in used mineral-based
crankcase oil are absorbed when used mineral-based crankcase
oil is applied to the skin. A study in rats showed that used
mineral-based crankcase oil that is swallowed is eliminated
in the feces. Medicinal-grade mineral oil is also eliminated
rapidly from the body in the feces. Thus, it is likely that
the chemicals that are in both medicinal-grade mineral oil
and used mineral-based crankcase oil are eliminated rapidly
in the feces, but we do not know the timeframe for elimination
from the body of other chemicals found in used mineral-based
crankcase oil. We also do not know whether other routes of
elimination exist. Additional information on the movement
of the individual chemicals into, through, and from the body
can be found in the toxicological profiles for those chemicals.
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1.5
How can used mineral-based crankcase oil affect my health? |
The health effects of exposure to used
mineral-based crankcase oil vary depending on the properties
of the chemicals found in the oil. Each brand of oil contains
slightly different mixtures of oils and additives. Also, the
characteristics of the engine in which the oil is used affect
its final composition. Thus, effects experienced after exposure
to one batch of used mineral-based crankcase oil may not be
the same after exposure to another batch. Mechanics and other
auto workers who are exposed to used mineral-based crankcase
oil from a large number of motor vehicles have experienced
effects on the skin (rashes), blood (anemia), and nervous
system (headaches and tremors). However, these workers are
also exposed to a large number of other chemicals in the workplace.
Exposures to some of these other substances are known to cause
rashes, anemia, headaches, and tremors. Therefore, it is possible
that the effects the workers experienced may have been caused
by chemicals from sources other than used mineral-based crankcase
oil.
Volunteers who breathed mists of used
mineral-based crankcase oil for a few minutes had slightly
irritated noses and throats, and the mists were irritating
to the eyes of some people. Animals that ate large amounts
of used mineral-based crankcase oil developed diarrhea. Thus,
people who swallow used mineral-based crankcase oil may also
have diarrhea. Some cows that ate used oil containing metals
such as molybdenum and lead in contaminated pastures experienced
harmful effects on the blood, such as anemia, and on the nervous
system, such as tremors. Some of the cows died. There is a
possibility that anemia and tremors may occur in people exposed
to used mineral-based crankcase oil. Used mineral-based crankcase
oil was only slightly irritating to the skin of rabbits, guinea
pigs, and mice. We do not know if exposure to used mineral-based
crankcase oil affects the reproductive ability of men or women
or whether it causes birth defects.
Long-term exposure of the skin to used
mineral-based crankcase oil causes skin cancer in mice. PAHs
in the oil have been identified as the cancer-causing agents
because some PAHs are known to cause cancer and because the
carcinogenicity of various batches of the used oil increased
with increasing amounts of PAHs in the oil. The Department
of Health and Human Services, the International Agency for
Research on Cancer (IARC), and EPA have not classified used
mineral-based crankcase oil with regard to its carcinogenicity
in people.
The health effects of many of the individual
chemicals found in used mineral-based crankcase oil (PAHs,
lead, zinc, cadmium, copper, chromium, nickel, barium, boron,
manganese, tin, and aluminum) are discussed in the toxicological
profiles for those chemicals.
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1.6
Is there a medical test to determine whether I have been exposed
to used mineral-based crankcase oil? |
Used mineral-based crankcase oil is a
mixture of a large number of chemicals. Its composition depends
on the brand of oil and the characteristics of the engine
in which it was used. Therefore, no one medical test will
show if you have been exposed to used mineral-based crankcase
oil. However, there are methods for determining if you have
been exposed to some of the chemicals in used mineral-based
crankcase oil. These include testing for the presence of metals
such as lead or molybdenum in your blood, or testing for deoxyribonucleic
acid (DNA) adducts (chemical addition products) with PAHs
in your skin cells. These tests are not part of routine medical
examinations. However, your doctor can collect blood or tissue
samples and send them to most university medical centers or
medical laboratories for analysis. It should be noted that
molybdenum and PAHs are common environmental contaminants
and elevated levels of these materials may be the result of
exposures to materials not associated with used mineral-based
crankcase oil. Also, testing for exposure to specific chemicals
in the oil cannot be used to find out exactly how much used
mineral-based crankcase oil you have been exposed to. However,
the testing is very useful because the amounts of individual
chemicals identified can be used to determine the health effects
that you may experience. Health professionals with expertise
in occupational medicine or industrial hygiene should be able
to identify chemicals that may have been in the oil and recommend
tests for those chemicals. Some of the tests for specific
chemicals provide information about previous exposure levels
and about whether harmful health effects may occur. For more
information on the tests available for specific chemical components
of used mineral-based crankcase oil, please refer to the toxicological
profiles for those chemicals.
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1.7
What recommendations has the federal government made to protect
human health? |
Regulations for used mineral-based crankcase
oil are still being created and revised. Thus, federal guidelines
or standards for inhalation, drinking water, food, or dermal
exposure to used mineral-based crankcase oil are not yet available.
However, the EPA and most states have developed regulations
regarding disposal of used oil, its recycling, spraying used
oil onto road surfaces for dust control, or burning it as
a fuel.
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1.8 Where can I get more information? |
If you have any more questions or concerns, please contact
your community or state health or environmental quality department or:
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
Division of Toxicology
1600 Clifton Road NE, Mailstop F-32
Atlanta, GA 30333
Information line and technical assistance:
Phone: 888-422-8737
FAX: (770)-488-4178
ATSDR can also tell you the location of occupational and environmental health
clinics. These clinics specialize in recognizing, evaluating, and treating illnesses
resulting from exposure to hazardous substances.
To order toxicological profiles, contact:
National Technical Information Service
5285 Port Royal Road
Springfield, VA 22161
Phone: 800-553-6847 or 703-605-6000
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References |
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease
Registry (ATSDR). 1997. Toxicological
profile for used mineral-based crankcase oil. Atlanta,
GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health
Service.
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