Talk:Ballistol

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Ballistol is petroleum[edit]

This is not correct. Ballistol IS a product of the petrochemical industry and IS a petrolium product. It's main ingredient is paraffin oil (vaseline oil) which is a non-toxic petrolium product. But it is nonetheless strongly related to other petrolium products such as gasoline or other mineral oil lubricants.

The main ingredient is pharmaceutical white oil. --EvaK (talk) 14:36, 8 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

PoisonMiller says website is the source of the claim. Would PoisonMiller most kindly post where in the website it says that this product contains no petrochemicals? MetaEd (talk) 21:01, 8 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

The statement was from a retail ad. However, upon further research it seems that it contains Mineral Oil. It's unclear if this is ultimately considered a petrochemical, since it can be obtained naturally. Petrochemical is defined as a chemical made from petroleum. I may be over thinking this, so if I'm an idiot please tell me. PoisonMiller (talk) 09:11, 16 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

"Petrochemical" applies to "any compound obtained from petroleum or natural gas" (WordNet 3.0) or "a chemical substance obtained from petroleum or natural gas, as gasoline, kerosene, or petrolatum" (Dictionary.com). The examples given (gasoline, kerosene, petrolatum) are petroleum distillates. So petroleum distillates are petrochemicals. The article can freely say the product is made from petrochemicals. It could also say petroleum distillates, or name the specific chemicals listed in the material safety data sheet: "butane", "medicinal grade mineral oil", and "petroleum distillate".

The best the article can do is document incoherent and contradictory claims. A retail ad (citation needed) claims the product contains no petrochemicals. On the other hand, the material safety data sheet says the opposite. The site also links to the manufacturer's Canadian distributor, who castigate competing products for use of petroleum derivatives (particularly petroleum distillates) while not mentioning that their own product is made of petroleum derivatives (particularly petroleum distillates) too.

The manufacturer is using medicinal grade mineral oil to compete with other petroleum distillates that are more hazardous to health. "Our petrochemicals are better than our competition's petrochemicals" is not a good story in the current market climate. They do something more clever. Their environmental page is a complete vilification of the petroleum oil industry from the Exxon Valdez oil spill to WD-40, without mentioning that their product is also petroleum based.

If I were a betting man, I'd guess that the retail ad you saw did not go so far as to say that their product contains no petrochemicals. Instead it carefully and deliberately left you with a false impression.

I have to say the product sounds safe and effective, and their public relations department is pretty good too. MetaEd (talk) 00:18, 20 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Okay, so I now understand why the nonsensical statement, "Some other similar chemicals contain petro-chemicals which can pollute the environment if improperly handled", has been added. Sometime, liquids that aren't in Ballistol, are acids and can melt your face off. Sometimes, balls are musty in you mouth, which in the singular form, is the word using the first four letters. Or why everything, and that's everything, can cause cancer "maybe" according to California. And yes, I have given that sentence every single bit of respect it deserves and has earned. 68.107.134.203 (talk) 13:51, 15 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]