Is Engine Oil Toxic: Complete Guide & Precautions 

Is Engine Oil Toxic?

Most people already know that engine oil is not a beverage you would ordinarily consume. However, the real question is WHY NOT! How bad could it get if someone drank engine oil?

Let us find out!

Yes, engine oil is toxic. If you read the back of the container of engine oil, you will find a serious warning that drinking engine oil may very well be fatal. It can be very harmful if swallowed or aspirated into the lungs.

If someone swallows engine oil deliberately or accidentally and starts exhibiting respiratory symptoms, you should immediately admit them into an Emergency Room (ER) for help at once. 

Hence, it should be kept out of reach from children. While changing the oil, it is highly recommended that you do not pour the used oil in an empty container of food or drinking cup. Imagine oil in a cup of coffee and someone accidentally mistaking it for a nice espresso! Skip the confusion, use properly labeled containers for the job, and make sure no one ordinarily mistakes the storage facility for a kitchen. Moreover, it needs to be stored in a cool and dry space. We’ll see later how storage facilities made especially for engine oil are made.

For now, let us dig deeper into what makes engine oil so toxic.

The Composition of Engine Oil:

Modern engine oils are based on different base oils or base oil compounds. The oil belongs to the large class of compounds called Hydrocarbons. The high-performance engine oil can only be achieved with a balanced formula (base oil and additive components).

The composition of your typical engine oil is as follows:

• 78% base oil
• 10% viscosity improvement additive (to improve flow) 
• 3% detergent (anti-sludge and grease substances that clean the engine) 
• 5% dispersant (for the suspension of dirt particles) 
• 1% wear protection 
• 3% of other components

How Engine Oil is Toxic to Humans?

The toxicity of the oil has more to do with its physical characteristics than its chemical formula, but it’s toxic either way. The characteristics responsible for the toxicity are explained below:

Physically:

Engine oil belongs to the class of compounds of hydrocarbons, which in the simplest form, are the combination of carbon and hydrogen atoms. All hydrocarbons tend to have an oily surface in their liquid state. When these oily substances are swallowed, the main thing to worry about is that they can sneak into your windpipe. This is called aspiration in the medical field. Aspiration happens when you chug a fluid but given its crude nature, you immediately vomit it out, and in that process, a tiny fraction of the fluid sneaks into your windpipe. The respiratory-tract is right next to the food pipe and the closeness of these often leads to aspiration. The hydrocarbons possessing low viscosity are more likely to be aspirated than high viscosity hydrocarbons. Low viscosity means it’s rather easier for the hydrocarbon to flow and slip into the wrong chambers.

When someone swallows a small amount of engine oil and it goes down directly to the stomach, the only symptom expected would be the laxative effect (loose stools or diarrhea). This kind of illness can be treated and watched at home. However, if the oil is aspirated or may have entered the lungs, the patient would need immediate medical help. Rush them to the emergency room immediately for evaluation. Since engine oil does not have a favorable taste, smell, or thickness, there are high chances that your body may attempt purging it out. In this process of vomiting, your respiratory system can intake the oil, which is a more serious problem. Often times, aspiration is an immediate process that happens alongside puking. In the emergency room, the patient is monitored and evaluated to perform a chest x-ray to see any inflammation in the lungs. 

Chemically: 

As the car runs, the oil heats up and makes way for many more chemicals that are way more toxic. Used engine oil contains more contaminants than fresh engine oil does. The reason being used engine oil gets mixed with benzene, gasoline, diesel, anti-freeze chemicals, and metal shavings, to name just a few contents found in the engine. A lot many people are fine with handling engine oil with their bare hands. Little do they know this is a very unhealthy practice. Frequent exposure to engine oil (fresh and used, both) can cause skin rashes, dermatitis, blood anemia, headaches, tremors, and skin cancer.

As hydrocarbons can lead to dehydrated and dry skin, the engine oil can also trigger such responses from the skin. A mild but powerfully hydrating lotion could help with the dryness.

There is another serious concern: Defatting!

Defatting is the process of your body fat and oil getting dissolved by external agents. Hydrocarbons have a reputation for defatting! Your skin may develop an allergic reaction as a result of it.

How Engine Oil is Toxic to the Environment

Used engine oil can enter the environment in different ways, but mostly, it enters the air through the exhaust system during engine use. It can enter into water or soil or both of them when it isn’t disposed of properly. Some hydrocarbon components stick to the soil surface and form even more harmful chemicals, while others evaporate into the air. The evaporation span may vary depending upon the volatility of that particular hydrocarbon.

When these hydrocarbons enter a water body, they combine with the smaller particles and settle down to the bottom eventually. However, the marine animals may eventually consume them and this can lead to fatality. As is backed by research, a lot of these hydrocarbons accumulate inside shellfish, turtles, etc.

Another problem with dumping it in water is: It floats! Oil doesn’t mix well in water and so it forms a thin layer on top, which blocks sunlight and oxygen, needed by the marine flora and fauna.

Precautions While Dealing With Engine Oil:

There is no other supplement that can replace engine oil as a lubricant in our engines, and so we have to make do with what we get. However, that doesn’t have to be careless. We can be more cautious while handling engine oil.

• Wearing Gloves: When you are dealing with motor oil, you should wear gloves to limit its exposure.
• Eye Protection: Eye-protecting glasses should be worn always. There may be a splash, and the eyes, being the most delicate of your tissues, should not be left vulnerable to engine oil.
• Cool Engine Oil: You should let the engine cool itself off before proceeding with the oil change because burning engine oil will add twice the burn to your injury.
• Stay Away: You should try to stay as far away as possible from the vehicle while removing the oil drain plug with your fingers.
• Empty Food Container: The engine oil should not be put into an empty food or beverage container, as someone can take it for an edible. 
• Keep Away from Children: You should keep engine oil away from children at all times, as its consumption leads to respiratory issues. If the alkanes and PAH (Poly Aromatic Hydrocarbons) reach your lungs, they cause life-long diseases. Not only are these disorders incurable, they can sometimes be fatal too. If someone has drank engine oil, rush them to a doctor without any delays.
• Wash Immediately: If you accidentally touch engine oil, you should wash your hands with soap and water immediately.
• Dispose of Properly: While circulating in the engine, the oil picks up metal contaminants that are hazardous, you should recycle or properly dispose of the oil to avoid polluting the environment.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, engine oil, whether fresh or used, can be hazardous not just for humans but also for the ecosystem. Fresh engine oil is a laxative and so, if consumed in smaller doses, would not be fatal.

Used engine oil contains gasoline/petrol among other toxic elements. This will most certainly be fatal if not rushed to a doctor immediately. So, you should take every possible precautionary measure while dealing with new or used engine oil.