Zuko Komisa
- Transformer oil often contains Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs), “forever chemicals” linked to cancer, hormonal disruption, and organ damage.
- These toxins do not break down; they leak into water systems and bioaccumulate in the food chain, poisoning fish, livestock, and humans.
- Authorities have ordered municipal workers to refuse all public requests for the oil, as it is an unregulated industrial waste product.
A dangerous health myth is circulating in South African communities suggesting that industrial transformer oil can treat rheumatoid arthritis.
The Department of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment (DFFE) has issued an urgent warning against this practice.
Transformer oil is a hazardous industrial fluid, not a topical treatment, and its use poses a severe threat to human life and the ecosystem.
The primary risk stems from PCBs, which remain in older electrical equipment despite being banned globally. When applied to the skin, these chemicals enter the bloodstream.
Even modern oils labeled “PCB-free” are dangerous, as they are formulated for electrical insulation not human contact and have not been cleared by the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA).
The misuse of this oil triggers a silent environmental disaster.
When washed into drains or poured onto soil, PCBs persist for decades. They are absorbed by small organisms and move up the food chain, becoming more concentrated at each level.
This means a single person using the oil as a “remedy” can inadvertently contaminate local water and food sources for years to come.
This trend highlights the lethal speed of health misinformation.
The Department of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment is currently working under the Stockholm Convention to phase out PCBs entirely, but public cooperation is vital. Relying on industrial fluids instead of professional medical care is a life-threatening gamble. The message is clear: transformer oil belongs in machines, not on people.
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