Mineral oil

Pronunciation

Definition 1

A type of oil that is made from petroleum (mixture of oily liquids found in the earth). Mineral oil is used in laxatives, lubricants, creams, and lotions. (NCI Dictionary)

Definition 2

A mixture of liquid paraffinic, naphthenic and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons obtained from petroleum in which the amount and types of aromatic hydrocarbons is dependent on the treatment process. Untreated and mildly treated mineral oils contain the highest amount of aromatic and unsaturated compounds and are primarily used as a lubricant base oil to produce further refined oil products. Exposure to these types of mineral oils can cause rapid respiration, cyanosis, tachycardia and low-grade fever. Untreated and mildly treated mineral oils are strongly associated with an increased risk of scrotal and skin cancer but can also cause gastrointestinal, rectal, bladder and certain respiratory-tract cancers. (NCI Thesaurus)

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