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In addition to damage to health, lubricating oil can generate irreversible negative impacts on the environment

Every good driver knows, changing car oil is necessary and very important! But can you imagine where used lubricants go after that "general" at the mechanic? According to the National Petroleum Agency, at least 30% of the lubricating oil that reaches the workshops should be returned to the refineries for reuse.

The importance of recycling used or contaminated lubricating oil goes far beyond economic advantages. The most important reason for proper disposal is to avoid risks to health and the environment. Its carefree handling causes countless damages to health.

Because it comes from petroleum, the oil is already toxic and usually contains several types of additives that, in high concentrations, enhance its contaminating effects. All this without mentioning that incorrect handling of the lubricating oil, in addition to carrying this original charge, generates compounds that are hazardous to health and the environment, such as dioxins, organic acids, ketones and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. It also contains toxic elements, such as chromium, cadmium, lead and arsenic, coming from the original formula or absorbed from the equipment's own engine.

These contaminants are mostly bio-accumulative (remain for long periods in the body) and cause several serious health problems, as shown in the table below:

Poisoning	Effects on the Human Organism
Lead	Acute intoxication - abdominal pains; vomiting; diarrhea; oliguria; metallic taste sensation; collapse and coma. Chronic intoxication - loss of appetite; weight loss; apathy; irritability; anemia, damage to the nervous, respiratory, digestive, blood and bone systems. Carcinogenic for kidneys and lymphatic system. Teratogenic (malformations in fetuses, bones, kidneys and cardiovascular system). It mainly accumulates in the bones.
Cadmium	Acute intoxication - diarrhea; headache; muscle aches; chest and leg pain; salivation; metallic taste sensation; abdominal pain; coughing up bloody saliva; weakness; liver damage and kidney failure. Chronic intoxication - loss of smell; cough; dyspnea; weight loss; irritability; weakening of bones; damage to the nervous, respiratory, digestive, blood and bone systems. Lung and tracheal carcinogen. It mainly accumulates in the kidneys, bones and liver.
arsenic	Acute intoxication - violent gastroenteritis; burning in the esophagus; bloody diarrhea; vomiting; drop in blood pressure; bloody sweat; dyspnea; pulmonary edema; delirium; convulsions and coma. Chronic intoxication - dermatitis; skin darkening; edema; damage to the central nervous system, cardiovascular; chronic nephritis; hepatical cirrhosis; loss of smell; cough; dyspnea; weight loss; irritability; weakening of bones; damage to the nervous, respiratory, digestive, blood and bone systems. Carcinogenic for skin, lungs and liver.
Chrome	Hexavalent chromium - Cr(VI) - is extremely toxic unlike trivalent chromium - Cr(lll) - which is essential in insulin potentiation. Cr (VI) is generated in processes from Cr (III). Acute intoxication - dizziness; intense thirst; abdominal pain; vomiting; oliguria and anuria. Chronic intoxication - dermatitis; skin edema; nasal ulceration; conjunctivitis; nausea; vomiting; loss of appetite; rapid growth of the liver. Skin carcinogen; lungs and liver.
Dioxins	They are organochlorine substances, persistent in nature, extremely toxic, carcinogenic and teratogenic. These aggressive substances are generated when burning used or contaminated lubricating oil, which is illegal. The various dioxins each have different harmful effects on human health. Despite the variety of symptoms, by way of illustration, it is possible to generalize highlighting that all of them are carcinogenic to the respiratory system and cause vomiting, muscle pain and weakness, blood pressure failure, heart disorders.
Polycyclic (Polynuclear) Aromatic Hydrocarbons	Compounds characterized by having two or more aromatic rings (eg benzene) condensed. They have a long persistence in the environment. They are carcinogenic. When resulting from the burning of lubricating oil, which is illegal, they affect the lungs, the reproductive system and the development of the fetus (teratogenic)

As well as damage to the health of people who come into direct contact with the waste, oil also has great destructive power when it is incorrectly disposed of in the environment, causing irreversible damage.

Used or contaminated lubricating oil, as it is not biodegradable, takes decades to disappear in nature. When it leaks or is thrown on the ground, it makes it unusable, both for agriculture and buildings, killing vegetation and microorganisms and destroying humus, in addition to causing infertility in the area, which can become a source of vapors of hydrocarbons.

When dispensed into the soil, the substance can reach the water table, damaging the wells in the surrounding region. A liter of lubricating oil can contaminate a million liters of water. Furthermore, if thrown into the sewer, it will compromise the functioning of the water treatment plants, even, in some cases, causing the interruption of the operation of this essential service.

When burned (which is illegal and constitutes a crime), used or contaminated lubricating oils cause a strong concentration of pollutants within a radius of two kilometers. There is also the generation of a large amount of particulates (soot), producing precipitation of particles that, literally, they stick to the skin and penetrate people's respiratory system.

Stay tuned

It is important to make sure that your workshop disposes of oil properly. Reusing engine lubricant is very common. At the Sete Lagoas refinery, two million liters of oil are recycled per month. Stay tuned, this account is also yours!

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Source: APROMAC

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