Skin Cancer in the Engineering Industry from the Use of Mineral Oil

Open Access
Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The hazard of skin cancer caused by exposure to petroleum oils in the engineering industry was studied through evidence drawn from 3 sources; observation of workers who were exposed to cutting oils in the "bar automatic" machine shops of local light-engineering firms; an analysis of the records of patients reporting with scrotal cancer to the Birmingham United Hospital during the period 1939 to 1948; and the production of tumors in animals by painting with a sample of the cutting oil in current use in automatic machines. Although mineral oils are used in a wide variety of engineering processes, the most continuous and widespread skin contamination is in "bar automatic" shops, where groups of 20 to 150 workmen may be exposed under similar conditions. The automatic machine tools work at high speed, requiring large amts. of coolant of the tool edges, and, as they are at present designed, much oil is ejected into the shop. The operator is not only exposed to this spray, but has further contamination from the frequent necessity of adjusting the tool while the machine is in motion. In general the degree of skin contamination with oil is very much greater than that in mule- rooms in the cotton industry. The cutting oils are usually a blend of a smaller amount (about 10%) of "cutting compound" with a petroleum-oil distillate of the lubricant grade. The latter is similar to the spindle oil used in the cotton industry but may be a distillate "cut" of higher boiling point. The precise chemical compositions of the cutting compounds are difficult to determine; they may be derived from vegetable oils or aromatic extracts of petroleum-oil distillates. The hands and forearms of 138 workers in the shops of 3 factories were examined. Oil folliculitis was found in 110 (79.6%). Hyperkeratoses or warts were found in 45 (33%). The percentage of men affected by hyperkeratotic lesions increased with the duration of exposure[long dash]more than 50% of workers who had been exposed more than 15 yrs. were affected. In one shop inspected a case of scrotal cancer had occurred. From the hospital survey 34 cases of scrotal cancer were found to have been seen during the period studied, with 9 deaths. 12 patients (avg. age, 46) had been exposed to oil; 13 (avg. age, 58) to pitch; in 9 the type of exposure was doubtful. 11 of the 12 exposed to oil had been in the engineering industry; 6, on machine tools exposed to cutting oils. Because the temps. reached at the cutting edge of the tool are well above that required to produce "cracking" of the oil and theoretically might actually produce carcinogens from a previously noncarcinogenic oil, a sample of used oil was chosen for the biological test. In 46 mice painted twice weekly, only 1 benign papilloma appeared after 54 weeks. However, multiple benign papillomas appeared in 2 of 4 rabbits painted on the ears, thorax, and flank. The authors conclude that the evidence indicates that there is a definite hazard of skin cancer in certain workers exposed to oil in the engineering industry. Measures for the protection of machine operators are reviewed.