On-The-Job Exposure To Motor Oil, Lubricants Increases MS Risk, Study Finds

On-the-job exposure to engine oil, hydraulic oil and other petroleum-based lubricants might increase a person’s risk of multiple sclerosis, a new study says.

Metalworkers, mechanics, construction workers and other laborers exposed to these lubricants in the workplace had 38% higher odds of developing multiple sclerosis (MS), researchers reported Wednesday in the journal Neurology.

What’s more, the odds of MS increased along with the amount of exposure, results showed.

Smokers and people who lack a gene that protects against MS had even greater risk, researchers added.

“These findings point to the need for a closer look at workplace exposures that may play a role in MS risk,” lead investigator Anna Karin Hedström, a senior research specialist at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, said in a news release.

MS is a degenerative disease in which the immune system attacks the brain and spinal cord, affecting movement and coordination.

“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,” Hedström said.

For the new study, researchers compared nearly 2,900 people with newly diagnosed MS against 6,100 others without the disorder, matched by age, sex and residential area. Participants all lived in Sweden and had an average age of 35.

The research team used people’s work histories to estimate their possible exposure to engine oil, hydraulic oil, concrete form oil and petroleum-derived cutting fluids used to cool or lubricate metal during metalworking.

Nearly 9% of people with MS (251) had been exposed to these lubricants, compared to fewer than 7% (399) of people without MS.

Exposure was most common among metalworkers (23%); construction workers (17%); auto mechanics (11%); and machinery mechanics (10%), the study said.

That translated to a 38% higher risk of MS for people exposed to the lubricants, after adjusting for other risk factors, researchers said.

Every additional year of exposure, and each additional hour of exposure per week, meant an extra 2% increase in a person’s risk of developing MS, the study found.

Odds of MS were more than 33 times higher for people who had the deck stacked against them by lubricant exposure, smoking, carrying a genetic variant that increases MS risk and lacking a gene that lowers risk, the study said. Hedström noted that only 16 people with MS and two without MS were in that group.

“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,” she concluded.

However, researchers noted that the results are limited because they relied on participants’ own memories of their work history and exposure to the petroleum-based lubricants.

“Future studies should gather more detailed information about when people were exposed to these lubricants and how much they were exposed to at work,” Hedström said.

More information

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society has more on risk factors for MS.

SOURCES: American Academy of Neurology, news release, Nov. 4, 2026; Neurology, Nov. 4, 2026