Potential neurotoxin formation in thermally degraded synthetic ester turbine lubricants

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Abstract
Under extreme conditions of thermal degradation, a potent neurotoxin, trimethylolpropane phosphate (TMPP), may be formed by reaction of tricresyl phosphate (TCP, an anti-wear additive) and trimethylolpropane esters (TMPE) of carboxylic acids that may be contained in turbine engine lubricant formulations. The neurotoxin is only formed at extreme temperatures (350–700° C), which has minimized concern for use of the synthetic lubricants under intended applications; however, since researchers are often not privy to the proprietary composition of such lubricants, extreme caution should be exercised in studies of or applications of synthetic lubricatns degraded under extreme conditions.