Synthetic oil can cause severe infection?

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My buddy tells me the other day that a few years ago his dad was doing maintenance on a vehicle when synthetic oil first showed up on the market and he was working with bare hands but he had a cut on one of his hands and the synthetic seeped in the cut. It infected and they had to cut his finger off so the infection didn't spread. Apparently if it would of been dino oil they wouldn't of had to cut the finger off because the infection wouldn't of been as harmful. I have a hard time believing that, I have worked with synthetic oil with bare hands often in the past but never had cut in my hands while I was working.
 
Is this a real question?

Infections are caused by pathogens, not motor oil of any variety.

Used oil has nasty carcinogens in it though, so you should wear gloves.
 
Originally Posted By: Bandito440
Is this a real question? Infections are caused by pathogens, not motor oil of any variety. Used oil has nasty carcinogens in it though, so you should wear gloves.
Agreed; first time I have ever heard of synthetic oil causing infections when conventional oil would not. It was not the oil that caused the infection and it sounds like treatment for said infection was severely delayed or completely ignored until it was too late to save the finger.
 
Man, I must be living a charmed life. Been doing my own work on vehicles since 63 and have never worn gloves. Guess I better check out Amazon for gloves.
grin2.gif
 
He has the story backwards. Dino oil will cause infections, Ya know, dead animal and plant cells not being fully processed and getting into a cut are hazardous.

GEZEZ
 
Only you would know....

Originally Posted By: kschachn
I heard once that ATF causes pregnancy, is that correct?
 
Originally Posted By: AirgunSavant
Only you would know....
Originally Posted By: kschachn
I heard once that ATF causes pregnancy, is that correct?


I saw it on the Internet once. I think there's a YouTube video - maybe.
 
Originally Posted By: kschachn
I heard once that ATF causes pregnancy, is that correct?

No, you are thinking of white lithium grease.
 
Originally Posted By: johnnyh55
My buddy tells me the other day that a few years ago his dad was doing maintenance on a vehicle when synthetic oil first showed up on the market and he was working with bare hands but he had a cut on one of his hands and the synthetic seeped in the cut. It infected and they had to cut his finger off so the infection didn't spread. Apparently if it would of been dino oil they wouldn't of had to cut the finger off because the infection wouldn't of been as harmful. I have a hard time believing that, I have worked with synthetic oil with bare hands often in the past but never had cut in my hands while I was working.


Whew!!!
Had you said you read this story on the internet, I would have believed it.
smirk.gif
 
Seriously though, why would "synthetic oil" do that? There is this thing called germ theory which was developed a while back. If there aren't pathogens in the substance it's not going to cause infection, much less "severe infection". And why just synthetic oil? What makes that special?
 
I keep alcohol and peroxide around if I ever get a scratch working on a car. Antiseptic should go on immediately, then wash with soap and water. I wear gloves 99% of the time but there is always a chance for abrasion.
 
Originally Posted By: Bud
Man, I must be living a charmed life. Been doing my own work on vehicles since 63 and have never worn gloves. Guess I better check out Amazon for gloves.
grin2.gif


Plenty of people have been smoking cigarettes without getting lung cancer too. It's a matter of concentration and exposure.

Used motor oil is contaminated with lead, cadmium, chromium, arsenic, dioxins, benzene and other nasty substances (source). For the DIY guy, it's probably not a big deal to get trace amounts of those on your skin once or twice a year. Why take the chance though? Simple PPE like gloves eliminates the risk.

Prolonged exposure to used motor oil has been shown to cause higher rates of cancer in laboratory animals (source). We all take chances and determine what risks we're comfortable with. The most important thing is having the data so you can make an informed decision. The nitrile gloves that I use when changing motor oil or using solvents are about 20¢ per pair. To me, that's worth the cost.
 
if this a true story, it had to be strep A or he waited to long to have it treated. either way, the infection was most likely from whatever caused the initial cut.
 
Is it April 1st yet? BTW, isn't most synthetic these days Group III, which the purists claim is just highly refined dino?
 
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