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Composition and toxicity of petroleum products and their additives

Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine

1 All petroleum based products are highly complex chemical mixtures. Although almost exclusively composed of hydrocarbons, the composition varies with the crude oil source.

2 Their toxicity for man is generally low but there are exceptions. Although irritancy and sensitization to specific ingredients may be demonstrated in animals, animal experiments are not a reliable indicator of sensitization potential in man.

3 Both product complexity and commercial considerations can make acceptable and meaningful compositional disclosures difficult. A nomenclature system exists which solves these problems.

4 Frame formulations would have some value to poisons centres dealing with petroleum product enquiries.

5 As legislation for the European Union is developed, the balance must be reached between disclosure of the (often confidential) precise chemical composition of products and a practical and useful composition for the guidance of users and medical personnel. This is a key issue with some petroleum products, mainly due to the additives used in them.

6 For several reasons, such as climatic conditions or logistics of supply, the various components, including additives, used in a branded product may vary because the final product composition is determined not by chemistry but by performance in service.

7 Lubricants may contain between 10 and 20% of additives; fuels contain additives only at parts per million levels. However, for both fuels and lubricants, toxicity from additives is rarely a matter of concern.

Key Words: fuels • lubricants • additives • petroleum products • toxicity • nomenclature • composition • disclosure

Human & Experimental Toxicology, Vol. 17, No. 2, 111-123 (1998)
DOI: 10.1177/096032719801700206


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