# Is this industrial bioweapon possible: infect machines with oil-eating bacteria **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 3, 2003, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-industrial-bioweapon-possible-infect-machines-with-oil-eating-bacteria/186076 "2003-07-03T17:31:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2003, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-industrial-bioweapon-possible-infect-machines-with-oil-eating-bacteria/186076/1 "2003-07-03T17:31:37Z")
So, there exist bacteria that can digest crude oil, even diesel fuel and gasoline. Would it be possible for a colony of such bacteria to “infect” an engine/fuel tanks and thus degrade the fuel quality? Could we, even now, have “sick” cars, trucks, planes, gas stations, refineries, etc., that have chronic infections of such bacteria? ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2003, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-industrial-bioweapon-possible-infect-machines-with-oil-eating-bacteria/186076/2 "2003-07-03T18:12:35Z")
Interesting idea, but I can’t imagine a colony of bacteria in the gas tank having much effect. If the colony gets really, really big, it might clog the filter. Likewise oil-eating bugs. Regular maintenance in the form of oil changes would keep them at bay. ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2003, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-industrial-bioweapon-possible-infect-machines-with-oil-eating-bacteria/186076/3 "2003-07-03T18:29:08Z")
> [@](#): > > So, there exist bacteria that can digest crude oil, even diesel fuel and gasoline. Would it be possible for a colony of such bacteria to “infect” an engine/fuel tanks and thus degrade the fuel quality? Could we, even now, have “sick” cars, trucks, planes, gas stations, refineries, etc., that have chronic infections of such bacteria? > [@](#): > > Interesting idea, but I can’t imagine a colony of bacteria in the gas tank having much effect It _does_ happen and it _can_ do damage to the engine. [There are products to prevent it.](http://www.boatus-store.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=20002&langId=-1&catalogId=20002&productId=21560) ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Fun\_Ball](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_fun_ball/32/17664_2.png) [@Happy\_Fun\_Ball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Fun_Ball)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2003, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-industrial-bioweapon-possible-infect-machines-with-oil-eating-bacteria/186076/4 "2003-07-03T18:39:33Z")
Very interesting idea and very good question. I cannot answer the OP but I can throw out this peice of data: When I used to work in the aluminum can manufacturing industry I would sometimes work with the “bodymakers”, also known as a horizontal draw and iron press. These presses operate at relativly high speed with incredible tolerances and forces. Due to the speed and forces involved, the bodymaker punch is cooled and lubricated with an oil that is pumped through the machine at a pretty high rate. The oil is filtered and reused. The reason I bring this up is that the lubricating coolant had a large amount of anti-bacterial chemical regularly added to it. Without the chemical, bacterial would thrive in the hot oil and quickly destroy its lubricating properties. So while there is naturally occuring bacteria that thrives in these types of environments, there are also products out there to control them. I have never heard of bacterial contamination of car motor oil being contaminated in this manner, maybe it has anti-bacterial components added during manufacture. Hopefully someone who knows more will come along shortly. ---
**Author:** ![Declan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@Declan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Declan)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2003, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-industrial-bioweapon-possible-infect-machines-with-oil-eating-bacteria/186076/5 "2003-07-03T21:40:08Z")
Even if its possible for the bacteria to exist , other than naturally , its the delivery method that makes this sound improbable. For it to exist ,you need a reason ,which thinking of ww2 , would be shutting down german manufacturing centers. Next would be delievery ,which would most likely be airborne , but I cant see how the bacteria could get in , marginally legal under the Bio warfare protocols , other than that , commandos that could insert the product ,or fifth columnists inserting bacteria at point source , where the oil gets canned or something. Every industrial cooling system I have seen , is a closed loop , so excepting what gets left on the surface of the press or what have you , it does not seem all that feasible. Declan ---
**Author:** ![cj\_finn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@cj\_finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cj_finn)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2003, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-industrial-bioweapon-possible-infect-machines-with-oil-eating-bacteria/186076/6 "2003-07-03T21:52:51Z")
Hey, quit messing around. Sneak the bacteria onto an oil platform and inject it into your enemy’s oil reserves. Some nutty anti oil group is probably already working on this. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2003, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-industrial-bioweapon-possible-infect-machines-with-oil-eating-bacteria/186076/7 "2003-07-03T22:13:49Z")
Don’t play with the bacteria that feed on room-temperature superconductors though; most of the power systems on the ring rely on it and God alone knows what would happen if it somehow got into the grid embedded in the _scrith_. ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2003, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-industrial-bioweapon-possible-infect-machines-with-oil-eating-bacteria/186076/8 "2003-07-03T22:50:08Z")
Well, if you used this weapon, at least no one could argue that “it was all about the oil.” The main problem is that fuel and lubricant containers are sealed and they are placed in closed systems. So to be effective you’d have to infect distribution centers and refineries – points at which it would be easy to introduce antibiotic substances. ---
**Author:** ![manhattan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manhattan/32/7_2.png) [@manhattan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manhattan)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2003, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-industrial-bioweapon-possible-infect-machines-with-oil-eating-bacteria/186076/9 "2003-07-03T23:00:13Z")
Au contraire, **Finagle**. To keep this non-political, let’s suppose I’m Brain (of Pinky and) rather than a politician. As Brain, I’ve built myself a big-ol’ oil company. If I could contaminate the fields in the Middle East, the North Sea and, say, the Gulf of Mexico (my fields are elsewhere, of course), the price of oil would go up and I would take over the world! ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2003, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-industrial-bioweapon-possible-infect-machines-with-oil-eating-bacteria/186076/10 "2003-07-03T23:43:30Z")
I dunno, Manhattan. The oil companies tread a tightrope between maintaining reasonably gouging profits and driving the cost of energy high enough so that alternative sources start looking good. I’m thinking the NIMBY of, say, windmills of Nantucket Island might diminish strangely if energy prices quadrupled. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2003, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-industrial-bioweapon-possible-infect-machines-with-oil-eating-bacteria/186076/11 "2003-07-04T04:10:17Z")
The other thing is that the reason animal diseases are dangerous is that you have to try to kill the virus/bacteria/whatever while keeping the victim alive ie you can’t inject bleach into someone to kill an infection. No such problem with machines. You invent a bacterial that rapidly eats oil, I just start adding something highly toxic to the oil in my machines. End of problem. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2003, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-industrial-bioweapon-possible-infect-machines-with-oil-eating-bacteria/186076/12 "2003-07-04T06:10:15Z")
…Well, [antibiotic resistant bacteria](http://www.ich.ucl.ac.uk/factsheets/misc/mrsa/) have been produced in the medical field, a product of the overuse of antibiotics. Might it be possible to purposely breed antibiotic/toxin resistant petroleum eating bacteria, in the lab? ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2003, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-industrial-bioweapon-possible-infect-machines-with-oil-eating-bacteria/186076/13 "2003-07-04T06:36:38Z")
Doubt it. Once again, the only difficulty with killing them critters is doing it in situ without killing a living host. My guess is that when your only constraint is avoiding a toxic additive that would damage the lubricating qualities of the oil, the possibilities are far too wide for you to be able to breed something resistant to all possible means of killing. You can filter, poison, heat, freeze, whatever the oil. Hopefully someone who is actually qualified to comment will be along in a minute. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2003, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-industrial-bioweapon-possible-infect-machines-with-oil-eating-bacteria/186076/14 "2003-07-04T07:37:15Z")
There was a piece in yesterday’s paper that someone’s discovered bacteria that eat toxic polyvinyl something or other. They hope to use it to clean up super fund sites.