N‐nitroso‐1,3‐oxazolidine, a carcinogenic compound detected as an impurity in a commercial cutting fluid

The title N-nitrosamine, a potent liver carcinogen, was detected in a mineral oil cutting fluid at concentrations up to 60 mg/kg. Identification was performed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry and by synthesis. The compound is thought to have been formed from formaldehyde, sodium nitrite and an amino alcohol present in the cutting fluid.