Mineral Oil & Baby Oil
It is produced as a byproduct of the distillation of gasoline from crude oil. Mineral oil is leftover liquid, and because it is abundant, it is very inexpensive. In fact, it is more expensive to dispose of mineral oil, than to purchase it.Mineral Oil is a liquid mixture of hydrocarbons obtained from petroleum, its production is quite toxic, involving sulfuric acid, adsorbents, solvents, and alkalis.
It only takes a drop of synthetic fragrance to transform mineral oil into baby oil. Did you know that baby oil is actually mineral oil that is enhanced with fragrance? Mineral oil is the main ingredient in many baby care items as well. Vaseline (petroleum jelly), baby wash liquid soap, and baby lotions all contain mineral oil as a key ingredient. As mentioned above, manufacturers can buy it very inexpensively and it will not spoil.The problem is that mineral oil is foreign to the human body and has many harmful effects, especially in infants. Some of the effects of mineral oil may be a little surprising.
Mineral oil acts as a thin layer on the skin. It is difficult to absorb and clogs the pores, which slows the skin’s ability to eliminate toxins. Remember, the skin is the body’s largest organ and plays an important role in maintaining overall health! Once the oil is absorbed, it is broken down by the liver and passes through the intestinal tract, it will absorb all of the fat-soluble vitamins found there. It is essentially stealing important vitamins from the body, which the body will not be able to replace. This can eventually lead to nutritional deficiencies. Studies have also shown forms of pneumonia caused by mineral oil decreasing lung function, known as lipoid pneumonia. Because of these dangers, the medical community has condemned the use of mineral oil taken orally or as an ingredient in medications.
Researchers from the Innsbruck Medical University say that mineral paraffin's appear to be the largest contaminant of our bodies, “widely amounting 1g per person reaching 10g in extreme cases.” They also found mineral oil in breast milk and fat tissue in new moms, and since mineral oil is frequently used to protect nipples between breast-feedings, babies ingest this petrochemical from the very first days of their lives.
