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The scientific literature indicates that there are at least two dozen adverse health effects linked to exposure to mineral oil, a crude oil derivative. New research indicates these fat-soluble hydrocarbons are accumulating to disturbing levels in our bodies, and affecting newborns by contaminating breast milk.
How did they get there? Mineral oil is legally allowed to be added to our foods, drugs and cosmetics, where they accumulate in our bodies over time, with the highest concentrations found in our fat deposits. One autopsy study performed in 1985, revealed that 48% of the livers and 46% of the spleens of the 465 autopsies analyzed showed signs of mineral-oil induced lipogranuloma (a nodule of necrotic, fatty tissue associated with granulomatous inflammation or a foreign-body reaction around a deposit of an oily substance), indicating just how widespread pathological tissue changes associated with exposure reallly are.
In the United States, the FDA has approved mineral for use in cosmetic products, as well as a food additive up to 10 mg/kg a day. For a 150 lb adult (68.03 kilograms) this is the equivalent of 680 milligrams a day, or 248 grams (over half a pound!) a year.
According to the Code of Federal Regulations Title 21, mineral oil may be used for the following uses in ingestible products:
| Use | Limitation (inclusive of all petroleum hydrocarbons that may be used in combination with white mineral oil) |
|---|---|
| 1. As a release agent, binder, and lubricant in or on capsules and tablets containing concentrates of flavoring, spices, condiments, and nutrients intended for addition to food, excluding confectionery | Not to exceed 0.6% of the capsule or tablet. |
| 2. As a release agent, binder, and lubricant in or on capsules and tablets containing food for special dietary use | Not to exceed 0.6% of the capsule or tablet. |
| 3. As a float on fermentation fluids in the manufacture of vinegar and wine to prevent or retard access of air, evaporation, and wild yeast contamination during fermentation | In an amount not to exceed good manufacturing practice. |
| 4. As a defoamer in food | In accordance with 173.340 of this chapter. |
| 5. In bakery products, as a release agent and lubricant | Not to exceed 0.15% of bakery products. |
| 6. In dehydrated fruits and vegetables, as a release agent | Not to exceed 0.02% of dehydrated fruits and vegetables. |
| 7. In egg white solids, as a release agent | Not to exceed 0.1% of egg white solids. |
| 8. On raw fruits and vegetables, as a protective coating | In an amount not to exceed good manufacturing practice. |
| 9. In frozen meat, as a component of hot-melt coating | Not to exceed 0.095% of meat. |
| 10. As a protective float on brine used in the curing of pickles | In an amount not to exceed good manufacturing practice. |
| 11. In molding starch used in the manufacture of confectionery | Not to exceed 0.3 percent in the molding starch. |
| 12. As a release agent, binder, and lubricant in the manufacture of yeast | Not to exceed 0.15 percent of yeast. |
| 13. As an antidusting agent in sorbic acid for food use | Not to exceed 0.25 percent in the sorbic acid. |
| 14. As release agent and as sealing and polishing agent in the manufacture of confectionery | Not to exceed 0.2 percent of confectionery. |
| 15. As a dust control agent for wheat, corn, soybean, barley, rice, rye, oats, and sorghum | Applied at a level of no more than 0.02 percent by weight of grain. |
| 16. As a dust control agent for rice | ISO 100 oil viscosity (100 centistokes (cSt) at 100deg. F) applied at a level of no more than 0.08 percent by weight of the rice grain. |
Considering the fact that our food supply is now saturated through with "food-grade" petroleum, it is no wonder that a study published in the journal of Food and Chemical Toxicology in 2008, found that "mineral paraffins might be the largest contaminant of our body, widely amounting to 1g per person and reaching 10 g in extreme cases." In the study they took tissue samples from women undergoing Ceasarean section and found "concentrations varied between 15 and 360 mg/kg fat, with an average of 60.7 mg/kg and a median of 52.5 mg/kg." More disturbingly, milk samples taken from these same women 4 days after delivery showed "the same mixture of mineral paraffins as the tissue fat at concentrations between 10 and 355 mg/kg (average, 44.6 mg/kg; median, 30 mg/kg)."
Infants, of course, are at much higher risk for adverse effects associated with mineral oil exposures due to their relatively far higher body burden (lower body weight vs. chemical exposure) and less developed blood-brain-barrier and detoxification systems in comparison with adults. Also, children have been found to accumulate higher levels than adults, either due to their higher consumption of de-dusted grains and glazing agents on confectionery products, or their inability to detoxify it as efficiently.
It should be noted that the health risks associated with mineral oil are not strictly theoretical. The World Health Organization classifies mineral oils (in untreated or lightly treated industrial-grade form) as Group 1 carcinogens to humans.1 The OSHA fact sheet on mineral oil also references research from 1991 indicating that it is carcinogenic to humans.2
Additionally, a study published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology in 2009 found that commonly used moisturizing creams containing mineral oil are tumorigenic when applied topically to UVB-pretreated high-risk mice. The brands studied were Dermabase, Dermovan, Eucerin, or Vanicream, which millions of Americans apply daily to their skin.
References
- International Agency for Research on Cancer (17 June 2011). "Agents Classified by the IARC Monographs, Volumes 1 - 102" (PDF). Lyon, France: International Agency for Research on Cancer. pp. 3, 19. Retrieved 11 November 2011.
- Hathaway GJ, Proctor NH, Hughes JP, and Fischman ML [1991]. Proctor and Hughes' chemical hazards of the workplace. 3rd ed. New York, NY: Van Nostrand Reinhold.
and then there is that pesky petro-derivative, n-hexane which is used to process soy to create soy milk, tofu, tvp, soy oil, soy flour, etc. The only way to really be sure what your are eating & drinking these days is to grow and pump your own (and even the water from a well or spring needs a super duper purification system on it nowadays and it is still not perfectly clean).