# What is mineral oil? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 26, 2003, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-mineral-oil/157747 "2003-02-26T22:47:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Encinitas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@Encinitas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Encinitas)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2003, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-mineral-oil/157747/1 "2003-02-26T22:47:42Z")
What mineral(s) is(are) used to make mineral oil? Are there different grades? I have some Jasco Butcher Block Oil that is food grade. Are there types that are not food grade? ---
**Author:** ![Padeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@Padeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padeye)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2003, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-mineral-oil/157747/2 "2003-02-26T22:56:05Z")
Mineral just means it comes from petroleum rather than a plant or animal source and food grade is just a level of purity. I suppose baby oil may not be food grade as it has scent added to it. … to cover the smell of the poopy diapers when they pump the babies into the oil refinery. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Encinitas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@Encinitas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Encinitas)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2003, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-mineral-oil/157747/3 "2003-02-26T23:32:02Z")
Thanks **Padeye**. I suspected petroleum might be involved. Can’t live with it. Can’t life without it. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![antechinus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/fbc32d/32.png) [@antechinus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antechinus)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2003, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-mineral-oil/157747/4 "2003-02-27T01:20:35Z")
Mineral oil is a general term used for a range of different hydrocarbon fractions obtained from crude oil. The oil is usually a heavy paraffinic hydrocarbon fraction. Long straight chain hydrocarbons. Baby oil is probably also clarified over activated carbon. Vegetable oils, on the other hand, are long chain fatty acids. They have oxygen groups in them. ---
**Author:** ![MissBungle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@MissBungle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MissBungle)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2003, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-mineral-oil/157747/5 "2003-02-27T01:20:41Z")
I was scared to poop when I was a young lass. Me thinks I was stuck in Freud’s anal stage of pyscho sexual development or some shit… but because of this, I was constipated a lot… and I had to take the mineral oil every evening to keep things from clogging up. foul stuff. gagorrific. absolutely rugged. ---
**Author:** ![andy\_fl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/49beb7/32.png) [@andy\_fl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andy_fl)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2003, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-mineral-oil/157747/6 "2003-02-27T01:40:31Z")
MissBungle - r u confusing Mineral Oil with castor Oil ? ---
**Author:** ![moriah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b2d939/32.png) [@moriah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moriah)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2003, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-mineral-oil/157747/7 "2003-02-27T02:15:56Z")
Mineral oil works as a laxative not so much because it greases up the pipes, and God knows, we’re certainly getting enough animal and vegetable fats and grease in our diets, but because it’s an irritant to the bowels and makes them go all grumbly and “let’s move things along, there’s nothing here to see.” ## Peace. What, we can’t drink petroleum oils!? \