Workers exposed to petroleum lubricants face higher MS risk
Swedish researchers found a link. Workers exposed to petroleum-based lubricants at work had 38 percent higher odds of multiple sclerosis.
A new study from Sweden's Karolinska Institutet looked at 2,872 people with newly diagnosed multiple sclerosis. The study also looked at 6,122 without it.
People with MS were more likely to report being exposed to petroleum-based lubricants at work. Petroleum-based lubricants include engine oil, hydraulic oil and cutting fluids used in metalworking.
Among people with MS, 8.7 per cent reported this exposure. Among those without MS, 6.5 per cent reported it.
When researchers accounted for other factors, exposure was linked to 38 per cent higher odds of MS. The odds rose slightly with more years and hours of exposure. When researchers looked at only exposure from at least seven years before symptoms appeared, the link was even stronger.
The odds were 55 per cent higher. The researchers think tiny lubricant droplets inhaled at work irritate the lungs and trigger immune reactions.
Those reactions may help cause MS.
- 2,872
- MS patients in study
- 6,122
- Control group without MS
- 38 per cent
- Higher MS odds with exposure
- 55 per cent higher
- Odds with 7-year lag
Why it mattersWorkers in metalworking, construction, vehicle repair and machinery maintenance now have evidence of a new occupational risk. They should know about it.
AustraliaAustralian workers in metalworking and construction face the same occupational exposure risks, though the study was conducted in Sweden and would need confirmation in Australian workers.
✓ Claims checked against the source. checked 1 d ago
