Mineral oil

Not to be confused with mineral spirit.

For crude oil found in geological deposits, see Petroleum.

Bottle of mineral oil as sold in the U.S.

A mineral oil or paraffin oil is any of various colorless, odorless, light mixtures of higher alkanes
from a mineral source, particularly a distillate of petroleum.[1]

The name mineral oil by itself is imprecise, having been used for many specific oils over the past
few centuries. Other names, similarly imprecise, include white oil, liquid paraffin, paraffinum
liquidum (Latin), and liquid petroleum. Baby oil is a perfumed mineral oil.

Most often, mineral oil is a liquid by-product of refining crude oil to make gasoline and other
petroleum products. This type of mineral oil is a transparent, colorless oil composed mainly of
alkanes[2] and cycloalkanes, related to petroleum jelly. It has a density of around 0.8 g/cm3.[3]

Nomenclature[edit]

Some of the imprecision in the definition of the names (e.g., "mineral oil", "white oil") reflects
usage by buyers and sellers who did not know, and usually did not need to care about, the
precise chemical makeup. Merriam-Webster states the first use of the term mineral oil was
1771.[1] Prior to the late 19th century, the chemical science to determine such makeup was
unavailable in any case, so the fact that one name ended up applied to various oils is
unsurprising. A similar lexical situation occurred with the term "white metal".

"Mineral oil", sold widely and cheaply in the USA, is not sold as such in Britain. Instead British
pharmacologists use the terms "Paraffinum perliquidum" for light mineral oil and "Paraffinum
liquidum" or "Paraffinum subliquidum" for somewhat thicker (more viscous) varieties. The term
"Paraffinum Liquidum" is often seen on the ingredient lists of baby oil and cosmetics. British
aromatherapists commonly use the term "white mineral oil".

In lubricating oils mineral oil is termed from groups 1 to 2 worldwide and group 3 in certain
regions. This is because the high end of group 3 mineral lubricating oils are so pure that they
exhibit properties similar to polyalphaolefin - PAO oils (group 4 synthetics).[2]
Toxicology[edit]

The World Health Organization classifies untreated or mildly treated mineral oils as Group 1
carcinogens to humans; highly refined oils are classified as Group 3, meaning they are not
suspected to be carcinogenic but available information is not sufficient to classify them as
harmless.[4]

The UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) carried out a risk assessment on the findings of a survey
made in 2011 on risks due to migration of components from printing inks used on carton-board
packaging, including mineral oils, into food. The FSA did not identify any specific food safety
concerns due to inks.[5]

People can be exposed to mineral oil mist in the workplace by breathing it in, skin contact, or eye
contact. In the United States, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has set the
legal limit for mineral oil mist exposure in the workplace as 5 mg/m3 over an 8-hour workday.
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health has set a recommended exposure limit
of 5 mg/m3 over an 8-hour workday and 10 mg/m3 short-term exposure. At levels of 2500
mg/m3, mineral oil mist is immediately dangerous to life and health.[6]

Applications[edit]

Biomedicine[edit]

Cell culture[edit]

Mineral oil of special purity is often used as an overlay covering microdrops of culture medium in
petri dishes, during the culture of oocytes and embryos in IVF and related procedures. The use
of oil presents several advantages over the open culture system: it allows for several oocytes and
embryos to be cultured simultaneously, but observed separately, in the same dish; it minimizes
concentration and pH changes by preventing evaporation of the medium; it allows for a
significant reduction of the medium volume used (as few as 20 microlitres per oocyte instead of
several millilitres for the batch culture); and it serves as a temperature buffer minimizing thermal
shock to the cells while the dish is taken out of the incubator for observation.

Veterinary uses[edit]

Over the counter veterinarian use mineral oil is intended as a mild laxative for pets and livestock.
Certain mineral oils are used in livestock vaccines, as an adjuvant to stimulate a cell-mediated
immune response to the vaccinating agent. In the poultry industry, plain mineral oil can also be
swabbed onto the feet of chickens infected with scaly mites on the shank, toes, and webs.
Mineral oil suffocates these tiny parasites[citation needed]. In beekeeping, food grade mineral
oil-saturated paper napkins placed in hives are used as a treatment for tracheal and other mites.
It is also used along with a cotton swab to remove un-shed skin on reptiles such as lizards and
snakes.

Cosmetics[edit]

Mineral oil is a common ingredient in baby lotions, cold creams, ointments and cosmetics. It is a
lightweight inexpensive oil that is odorless and tasteless. It can be used on eyelashes to prevent
brittleness and breaking and, in cold cream, is also used to remove creme make-up and
temporary tattoos. One of the common concerns regarding the use of mineral oil is its presence
on several lists of comedogenic substances. These lists of comedogenic substances were
developed many years ago and are frequently quoted in the dermatological literature.

The type of highly refined and purified mineral oil found in cosmetic and skincare products is
noncomedogenic (does not clog pores).[7]

Mechanical, electrical and industrial[edit]

An electrical heat radiator that uses mineral oil as a heat transfer fluid

Mineral oil is used in a variety of industrial/mechanical capacities as a non-conductive coolant or

thermal fluid in electric components as it does not conduct electricity and functions to displace
air and water. Some examples are in transformers, where it is known as transformer oil,[8] and in
high-voltage switchgear, where mineral oil is used as an insulator and as a coolant to disperse
switching arcs.[9] The dielectric constant of mineral oil ranges from 2.3 at 50 C (122 F) to 2.1 at
200 C (392 F).[10]

Electric space heaters sometimes use mineral oil as a heat transfer oil. Because it is
noncompressible, mineral oil is used as a hydraulic fluid in hydraulic machinery and vehicles. It is
used as a jute batching oil, cutting fluid, and lubricant. Spindle oils are light mineral oils used as
lubricants in textile industries.
An often cited limitation of mineral oil is that it is poorly biodegradable; in some applications,
vegetable oils such as cottonseed oil or rapeseed oil may be used instead.[11]

Food preparation[edit]

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.[citation needed]
[dubious discuss][12] Because of its properties that prevent water absorption, combined with
its lack of flavor and odor, food grade mineral oil is a popular preservative for wooden cutting
boards, salad bowls and utensils. Rubbing a small amount of mineral oil into a wooden kitchen
item periodically will impede absorption of food liquids, and thereby food odors, and ease
cleaning. By impeding water absorption, wetting and drying cycles, which can cause cracks or
splits in wood, are reduced although some of the mineral oil is picked up by the food and
ingested. Outside of the European Union, it is occasionally used in the food industry, particularly
for confectionery. In this application, it is typically used for the glossy effect it produces, and to
prevent the candy pieces from adhering to each other. It has been discouraged for use in
children's foods,[13] though it is still found in many confectioneries, including Swedish Fish.[14]
The use of food grade mineral oil is self-limiting because of its laxative effect. The maximum daily
intake is calculated to be about 100 mg, of which some 80 mg are contributed from its use on
machines in the baking industry.[15]

It is sometimes used as a lubricant in enema preparations, because most of the ingested

material is excreted in the stool rather than being absorbed by the body.[15]

Other uses[edit]

Applying mineral oil to a butcher block counter top

Mineral oil's ubiquity has led to its use in some niche applications as well. It is used for treating
and preserving wooden butcher block counter tops.[16] It is recommended by the American
Society for Reproductive Medicine for use as a fertility-preserving vaginal lubrication.[17] The
degrading effect of oils on latex condoms should be borne in mind.[18]

Mineral oil is commonly used to create a "wear" effect on new clay poker chips, which can
otherwise be accomplished only through prolonged use.[19] Either the chips are placed in
mineral oil (and left there for a short period of time) or the oil is applied to each chip
individually, then the chip is rubbed clean. This removes any chalky residue left over from
manufacture, and also improves the look and "feel" of the chips.

It is used as the principal fuel in some types of gel-type scented candles.[20]

It is used for cooling, for example liquid submersion cooling of components in some custom-built
computers.[21][22] Veterinarian-grade mineral oil is an inexpensive source for mineral oil and is
frequently used by amateur radio operators as coolant in RF dummy loads.

Mineral oil is used as a brake fluid in some cars and bicycle disc brakes.

It is used for polishing alabaster in stonework and lubricating and cleaning pocket knives or food
handling tools that use an open bearing, thus needing periodic lubrication. Light mineral oil
(paraffinum perliquidum) is used as a honing oil when sharpening edge tools (such as chisels) on
abrasive oil stones. Mineral oil USP or light mineral oil can be used as an anti-rust agent for
blades.

It is an inexpensive alternative for storing reactive metals (lithium, sodium, etc.).

Horticultural oil is often made of a combination of mineral oil and detergent. It is sprayed on
plants to control scale, aphid and other pest populations by suffocation.

It is used to overlay polymerase chain reactions in biotechnology to prevent loss of water during
heating cycles. It is often used to suspend crystals for use in X-ray crystallography.

It is used as a transparent collision material for reactions in particle physics, as in the MiniBooNE
neutrino oscillation experiment.[23]
As a relatively low heat combustible with no flavor or odor, mineral oil can be used in
firebreathing and firedancing,[24] but there is an inherent risk of injury.[25][26]

Paraffin oil is also commonly being used to fill Galileo thermometers. Due to paraffin oil's
freezing temp being lower than water (approx. 24 F or 4 C), this makes them less susceptible
to freezing during shipment or when temporarily being stored in a non-climate-controlled
environment.[27]