Aerosols of mineral oils and metalworking fluids (containing mineral oils)

In this advisory report, the Council’s Dutch Expert Committee on Occupational Safety (DECOS) discusses the consequences of occupational exposure to aerosols of mineral oils. In describing the effects of exposure, the Committee has followed the generally used division of the mineral base oils into three product groups, based on the severity of the refining process: unrefined or mildly refined base oils, highly refined base oils, and other lubricant base oils. Within the latter group, the attention is focused on their application in metalworking fluids (MWF) as most of the data on adverse health effects of occupational exposure specifically concern the exposure to MWF. Four categories of MWF are distinguished: straight oils, soluble MWF, semi-synthetic fluids, and synthetic fluids. Fluids from the first 3 categories contain a decreasing amount of mineral base oils. The synthetic fluids are free from mineral oils.