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Different types of mineral oils Mineral oils can be roughly divided in two groups; Lubricant Base Oils (LBOs) and Highly Refined Base Oils (HRBOs).
LBOs are petroleum derived mineral oils which have been de-waxed (normal paraffin significantly removed or transformed) to prevent crystallisation at low temperatures which adversely impact LBO performance.
HRBOs, also known as “white oils”, are colourless petroleum derived mineral oils from non-carcinogenic LBOs, which are further highly refined to achieve extremely low levels of aromatics to eliminate colour and improve stability. There are two types of HRBOs/ white oils:
• T echnical white oils are colourless oils derived from non-carcinogenic LBOs and further refined by hydrogenation or acid treatment to achieve extremely low levels of aromatics, not compliant, however, with the levels stipulated by pharmacopeia monographs.
• Pharmaceutical white oils are colourless oils derived from technical white oils, which are highly refined in a second hydrogenation or acid treatment to achieve extremely low levels of aromatics to ensure they comply with the levels and specifications stipulated by international pharmacopeia monographs.
Multiple uses of mineral oils due to their unique properties Mineral oils are versatile substances that enable an array of industrial applications due to their physical-chemical properties, which are tailored through manufacturing. One can find mineral oils in the rubber industry, thermoplastic elastomers and polymer applications, adhesives, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals, printing inks, processing aids for leather and textiles and antifoam agents, agriculture in plant protection formulations and binders for fertilisers, and other uses such as coatings, lubricants, cleaning agents, water treatment, and many others. Their availabilities covering a broad range of viscosities* and melting points, allow for their ease of formulation in a very wide spectrum of preparations. In many cases replacement by alternatives offering the same safety-in-use versus performance profile is extremely complex and often impossible.
18 LUBE MAGAZINE NO.145 JUNE 2018
What are MOSH and MOAH? Since 2009, chromatographic peaks seen when analysing cocoa beans, sunflower oil and packaged food have been characterised as MOSH (Mineral Oil Saturated Hydrocarbons) and MOAH (Mineral Oil Aromatic Hydrocarbons). This MOSH and MOAH terminology, however, is creating confusion at different levels.
From a toxicological point of view, the MOSH and MOAH fractions do not correspond to petroleum derived mineral oils and waxes that are placed on the market. Furthermore, these MOSH and MOAH fractions are also found in products of other than of mineral oil origin, further adding to the difficulty of tracing their origin and the health risk they pose. As an example, n-alkanes have been attributed as MOSH, but are ubiquitously present in nature and are natural components of fruits and vegetables. There are also many other products that would lead to false positives in a “MOSH/MOAH” analysis.
Further adding to the complexity, is the fact that there are a number of lawful uses of petroleum based products in cosmetics and food context, both in the European Union (EU) and in other regions. Their presence should not create a concern of non-compliance or a health risk.
MOSH is a chromatographic measure of the alkane content of an oil. Some MOSH substances have been found to accumulate and cause inflammation of human livers and therefore its presence is undesirable. The concern around long term toxicity of mineral oil is derived from observations in animal experiments which are extrapolated to the human situation. From all the experiments, it appears that with the exception of the Fischer 344 rat (F- 344) model, none of the tested animals (rat strains other than F-344 and dogs) developed adverse effects. The F-344 rat shows unique adverse effects, including liver accumulation of n-alkanes commonly found in natural products such as apples. These adverse effects have been extrapolated to humans and serve as the basis for the health concern to MOSH. From the weight of the available evidence, including decades of safe use, humans do not develop adverse effects to alkanes whether from natural origin or from mineral oils. MOAH is a chromatographic measure of the aromatic content of an oil, and is considered as an indicator of the presence of unrefined petroleum based products
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