Motor Oil Not Good For Human Joints

Scientists have discovered that occupationalexposure to motor oil can significantlyincrease the chances that a personwill develop rheumatoid arthritis(RA). A team of researchers announcedthat, according to the results of theirstudy, mineral oils (specifically, hydraulicand motor oils) appear to be linked to aparticularly high risk of 2 kinds of RA.

The study polled 1400 RA patientsdiagnosed between 1996 and 2003about occupational exposure to certainchemicals. Those who reported exposureto the oils, all men, had a 30% higherrisk of developing a severe form of RAknown as "rheumatoid factor positive," and 60% more likely to develop anti-citrullinepositive RA, than those who werenot exposed to the oils.

Although it is still unclear as to how theoil may have affected the development ofRA, the researchers note that the findingscorrelate with previous testing that showedthat the oils induced RA in rats. Furtherstudy could help define whether otheragents—such as occupational chemicals,bacteria, or viruses—also play a role intriggering RA, the researchers said. Theirwork was published in Arthritis Researchand Therapy (September 23, 2005).