I have become ocd with dealing with engine oils etc trying my absolute best to avoid getting even a drop on my skin out of fear of not knowing how harmful it could be to my health? yesterday i got some synthetic atf oil on my hand so wiped it off with paper towel, washed it in soap maybe 5 times and then even rubbed mud all over my hands to clean it even more and then even had a shower and i still feel like some could remain in my skin pores leaching into my body?
How bad do you think it is to get engine oil, atf, brake fluids on your skin?
- Thread starter Dunkaroo
- Start date
Before having to retire I wrenched for over 40 years. My hands would get greasy and oily, but I still have them. And, no problems at all.
Oil is a proven carcinogen… Not really up for debate
No cancer here in my hands. Or any other part of my body that has had oil or grease on it.
52 years as a mechanic and have never worn gloves - I'm going to die...someday.
One of the earliest identified occupational cancers was for the boys who cleaned chimneys. I think they were required to strip down when they were forced to climb into chimneys. They got soot on their scrotum and (probably because bathing was a luxury) developed cancer.
There are combustion products in motor oil. That's the problem.
So yes, used motor oil is a carcinogen. But "the dose makes the poison". So it's not a good idea to have used motor oil on your skin every day for a working lifetime. So a professional mechanic should wear gloves.
As an occasional do it yourselfer, you might want to wear gloves to keep your hands a bit cleaner, wash your hands when you're done, and sleep well.
There are combustion products in motor oil. That's the problem.
So yes, used motor oil is a carcinogen. But "the dose makes the poison". So it's not a good idea to have used motor oil on your skin every day for a working lifetime. So a professional mechanic should wear gloves.
As an occasional do it yourselfer, you might want to wear gloves to keep your hands a bit cleaner, wash your hands when you're done, and sleep well.
I have always washed my hands after having oil and grease on them while I was building engines and working on them.
Early in my pipefitter days I ran A LOT of screw pipe. Even later on, before running a fab shop, I had to thread pipe occasionally. You have to keep the oil flowing on the threads while threading the pipe in the threader. Afterwards I would wipe/clean the threads with a rag and wire brush. That rag would eventually get saturated with oil and I still used it. Oil would get on my hands but I just wiped it off. I NEVER wore gloves around anything I was doing oil related. My hands are in perfect shape. I have NEVER lost a nights sleep because of all the oil I would get on my hands.
Oh, and let me add this too. When I cut used oil filters open, I still don't wear gloves!
I wonder when my hands will get cancer?
Anti-freeze is carcinogen for sure (EG), used engine oil also is a carcinogen. Heavy metal additives may be a problem in ATF and engine oil, but the base oil is probably OK (like Vaseline). Not sure about brake fluid but I'm sure it is not good for you either.
How much will it cause cancer and whether you will die of something else first, is up for debate.
What else can cause cancer for sure? Alcohol, tobacco (2nd hand smoke), diesel emission (soot), BBQ meat, STD like HPV virus, etc.
How much will it cause cancer and whether you will die of something else first, is up for debate.
What else can cause cancer for sure? Alcohol, tobacco (2nd hand smoke), diesel emission (soot), BBQ meat, STD like HPV virus, etc.
Buy disposable nitrile gloves, and your hands will stay clean.
don't eat the stuff, don't sniff it, wash your hands when done.
When I was an apprentice at a diesel shop we washed parts in diesel fuel. Today I've tried working with mechanics gloves and find it impossible to get a tactile feel with the gloves on my hands.
I had this conversation the other day about one of my old friends. He worked as a mechanic in his fathers garage for about 20 years, then took over the operation for another 20 or so years. I've been down there helping out now and then, and seen how he worked. Blowing brake and clutch dust everywhere, was an everyday thing. Spraying various cleaners and de-greaser's .without and mask or respirator. I've also seen him paint cars ans various parts without a mask, just his shirt pulled up over his mouth. It wasn't because he was too cheap to buy any type of protection, he didn't realize how the human body would absorb the chemicals into his body and effect him. I saw him with my own eyes wash his hands in gas everyday after work. I asked him why?, he said it's the best thing he's found to clean his hands after work. Once he sold his shop and went to work in the states garages, he started coming down with all sorts of illnesses. At least 6 types of cancers. He had prostate cancer when he was 41, and at that time they just removed it to deal with it. Then kidney cancer, lung cancer,had a spot on his brain they used radiation on. Several cases of skin cancer, and it was liver cancer that finally killed him. He spent his last years getting around in one of those scooters. His color was bad , and he always looked like he didn't feel good.Henry was a super nice guy and I'm glad he lived long enough to see his granddaughter. My thought on the is just because you expose yourself to harmful chemicals today and feel fine, doesn't meant it wont effect you years later. Like smoking, it doesn't kill everyone you just don't know how your actions will come back to haunt you when you get older.,,,
It's not immediate toxic otherwise it would not be used and packaged as it has been for over 100 years. Long term constant exposure is another thing entirely but even then it's hard to find correlation.
It's the other things in the shop like fuel, brake cleaners, parts cleaners and other solvents which can cause problems after long term exposure. These products contain known carcinogens like benzene and chlorinated compounds like tetrachloroethylene.
While they are not good, the average home oil change isn’t going to give you hand cancer. It’s continuous exposure that’s of real concern. Wear nitrile gloves and wash well with soap when you’re done and you have nothing to worry about. Washing 5 times a a bit OCD and will cause dry, chapped skin.
I worry more about coolant than anything else. My garage cat always comes by to inspect my work. It has to stay inside when I'm working with coolant. Negative results in this situation would be immediate vs long-term.
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