It's important you understand this information because this substance may harm you. The effects of exposure to any hazardous substance depend on the dose, the duration, how you are exposed, personal traits and habits, and whether other chemicals are present. Exposure to hydraulic fluids occurs mainly in the workplace. Drinking certain types of hydraulic fluids can cause death in humans, and swallowing or inhaling certain types of hydraulic fluids has caused nerve damage in animals. Contact with some types of hydraulic fluids can irritate your skin or eyes.
Hydraulic fluids are a large group of liquids made of many kinds of chemicals.
The three most common types of hydraulic fluids are mineral oil, organophosphate ester, and polyalphaolefin. Certain hydraulic fluids are produced from crude oil and others are manufactured. Hydraulic fluids can enter the environment from spills, leaks in machines that use them, or from storage areas and waste sites. If spilled on soil, some of the ingredients in hydraulic fluids will stay on top and others will sink into the groundwater. In water, some hydraulic fluids' ingredients will transfer to the bottom and can stay there for more than a year.