Can fumes of used oil make you dizzy?

P

PAcrude

Joined
May 27, 2025
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I know ill probably get roasted for this stupid question, but my old boss once said there is no stupid questions regarding safety .

I was sitting in my garage the other night organizing my tools. Not far from me i have like 20 gallons of used motor oil sitting in open 5 gallon buckets.

I don't know how much time passed maybe 20 minutes ? But i woke up in a very dizzy stupor with the tools i was holding dropped on the ground. I immediately left my garage for fresh air and felt better almost right away.

So i was thinking maybe it was the used oil? Nothing motorized is ran in the garage nor do i know of anything else that could cause this?
 
If you breath in enough hydrocarbons at one time, it goes without saying you will get dizzy, high (or both.)
You might want to seriously consider putting some lids on those buckets, and hauling them to somewhere they reclaim oil before you have another issue: a fire.
 
PAcrude said:
I know ill probably get roasted for this stupid question, but my old boss once said there is no stupid questions regarding safety .

I was sitting in my garage the other night organizing my tools. Not far from me i have like 20 gallons of used motor oil sitting in open 5 gallon buckets.

I don't know how much time passed maybe 20 minutes ? But i woke up in a very dizzy stupor with the tools i was holding dropped on the ground. I immediately left my garage for fresh air and felt better almost right away.

So i was thinking maybe it was the used oil? Nothing motorized is ran in the garage nor do i know of anything else that could cause this?
Click to expand...
Fumes are usually gases resulting from combustion.

If your garage door was closed for any amount of time you may have had CO2 poisoning.

Unless you had volatiles mixed with the mo's, vapors from open containers of mo's don't usually pose a threat.
 
Heck yeah, I was changing the crappy burn't WS ATF from my wife's Rav 4 and was overcome by it in my enclosed 6 car garage. I had to get out and open the doors it was so bad. I could not believe draining ATF into a large beaker could make you sick like that. Unless you smelled it, you would not believe it. 11 on a 10 scale. I lasted about 4-5 mins till I had to get out if I remember right.
 
PAcrude said:
I know ill probably get roasted for this stupid question, but my old boss once said there is no stupid questions regarding safety .

I was sitting in my garage the other night organizing my tools. Not far from me i have like 20 gallons of used motor oil sitting in open 5 gallon buckets.

I don't know how much time passed maybe 20 minutes ? But i woke up in a very dizzy stupor with the tools i was holding dropped on the ground. I immediately left my garage for fresh air and felt better almost right away.

So i was thinking maybe it was the used oil? Nothing motorized is ran in the garage nor do i know of anything else that could cause this?
Click to expand...
You should seek medical advice, not forum advice. It's best to be on the safe side.
 
Last edited:
PAcrude said:
I know ill probably get roasted for this stupid question, but my old boss once said there is no stupid questions regarding safety .

I was sitting in my garage the other night organizing my tools. Not far from me i have like 20 gallons of used motor oil sitting in open 5 gallon buckets.

I don't know how much time passed maybe 20 minutes ? But i woke up in a very dizzy stupor with the tools i was holding dropped on the ground. I immediately left my garage for fresh air and felt better almost right away.

So i was thinking maybe it was the used oil? Nothing motorized is ran in the garage nor do i know of anything else that could cause this?
Click to expand...
You may have had a vasovagal episode related to the overwhelming fumes. However, there are a plethora of other potential causes for your syncopal episode that should be further investigated by a medical professional. Glad you’re okay.
 
ammolab said:
Go,to your nearest VA hospital… they will do a urine analysis (cheapest test) and get you an appointment in about 12 months. 😡
Click to expand...
It’s disappointing to hear you had a bad experience. This is not typical, and I would suggest you reach out to your local patient advocate if you’re dissatisfied with any aspect of your care.
 
6.7 CTD said:
It’s disappointing to hear you had a bad experience. This is not typical, and I would suggest you reach out to your local patient advocate if you’re dissatisfied with any aspect of your care.
Click to expand...
I have thought about that, but I don’t know where to start about VA care. I worked 40+ years in medical research and it’s obvious that the VA medical mission is to spend as little time and money as possible.
 
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Used motor oil contains Benzene that has a very low toxicity level. 1ppm is the twa or action level or whatever OSHA calls it (I should know it considering I just had training about it). Unless you just drained 20 gallons out of a bunch of crummy running vehicles I doubt it is that. Could be a number of other garage related things leaking. Could even be a gas leak. But.........

GO TO THE DOCTOR!
 
I've felt a little sick and headachey by laying under my truck for 10 mins waiting for the oil to drain. Now I crawl back out instead of waiting, go for a coffee etc.
 
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