Abstract:
Insulating oils are rich in polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) which act as
inhibitors of oil breakdown, but are believed to be the main source of oil mutagenicity
when converted to their epoxide form by mammalian enzymes. The current industry-
recognised measurement of oil risk, the IP 346 method, measures total aromatic
content and therefore cannot be directly related to PAH risk. This thesis describes
efforts made to establish the contribution of PAH species alone to total oil
mutagenicity. Cont/d.
