Exposure to petroleum-based lubricants at work associated with multiple sclerosis risk
· Medical Xpressby American Academy of Neurology
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Exposure to petroleum-derived lubricants at work, including engine oil, hydraulic oil and cutting fluids used to cool or lubricate metal during metalworking, is associated with higher odds of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a study published in Neurology. The study does not prove that exposure to these lubricants causes MS. It only shows an association.
MS is a chronic disease in which the immune system attacks the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves. Researchers have identified both genetic and environmental factors associated with an increased risk of the disease.
"Previous research has linked lung irritants such as cigarette smoke, organic solvents and air pollution to MS risk, but petroleum-derived lubricants have not been closely studied," said study author Anna Karin Hedström, M.D., Ph.D., of Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden.
"Our findings suggest that exposure to these products in the workplace, which is common in industrial settings, is associated with higher odds of MS, especially when combined with smoking or certain genetic characteristics."
Tracing lubricant exposure at work
The study involved 2,872 people with newly diagnosed MS and 6,122 people without MS who were matched by age, sex and residential area. Participants had an average age of 35 and lived in Sweden.
Participants completed questionnaires about their work histories and possible exposure to cutting lubricants and fluids, engine oil, hydraulic oil and concrete form oil. Researchers defined workplace exposure as contact with at least one of these substances before the year a participant's first MS symptom occurred.
Among those exposed to these lubricants, common occupations included metalworking, construction, automotive repair and machinery maintenance.
Higher exposure linked to higher odds
A total of 251 people with MS, or 8.7%, reported occupational exposure to petroleum-derived lubricants, compared with 399 people without MS, or 6.5%.
After adjusting for age, sex, residential area, smoking and other factors, people who reported exposure had 38% higher odds of MS than people who did not report exposure.
Researchers also found that the odds of MS increased modestly with longer exposure. For each additional year of exposure, the odds rose by 2%. The odds also rose by 2% for each additional hour of exposure per week. Higher amounts of exposure were also linked to an increase in the odds of MS.
Because biological changes related to MS may begin years before symptoms appear, researchers repeated the analysis including only people who were exposed at least seven years before their first symptom. The association remained, with exposed participants having 55% higher odds of MS.
Smoking and genetics compound the association
Researchers also looked at whether smoking and genetics changed the association. Genetic data were available for a smaller group of people. Among people exposed to petroleum-based lubricants, those who smoked had higher odds of MS than would be expected from adding the separate effects of smoking and exposure. The same was true for people who lack a gene linked to lower MS risk.
Those who were exposed, smoked, carried a gene variant linked to higher MS risk and lacked a gene variant linked to lower risk had more than 33 times the odds of developing MS compared to people who had none of these factors. Hedström noted only 16 people with MS and two people without MS were in this group, so the estimate is less precise.
More detailed exposure data needed
"These findings point to the need for a closer look at workplace exposures that may play a role in MS risk," said Hedström. "Future studies should gather more detailed information about when people were exposed to these lubricants and how much they were exposed to at work."
A limitation of the study was that participants reported their own exposure to the lubricants, and they may not have remembered or classified exposure accurately. Another limitation was that other workplace exposures may have affected the results. The researchers said the findings need to be confirmed in other groups of people.
Publication details
Neurology (2026)
Journal information: Neurology
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Sadie Harley
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