An Initial Report of the Antimicrobial Activities of Volatiles Produced during Rapid Volatilization of Oils

Aerosols generated through volatilization and subsequent recondensation of oil vapors have been used as obscurant (smoke) screens during military operations since the early twentieth century. Specifically, a petroleum middle distillate known as the fog oil (FO) has been used in US military battlefields to create obscurant smoke screens. During a study on the feasibility of replacing petroleum-derived FO with vegetable oil-derived esters such as methyl soyate (MS), it was observed that that FO and MS aerosols and vapors did not exhibit detectable mutagenic activity but were lethal to Ames strains bacteria even after very short exposure periods. These results opened the potential use of oil-derived vapors as antimicrobial agents. Subsequent studies showed that optimal aerosol/vapor production conditions could further enhance disinfectant efficiency. For this purpose, we examined the antimicrobial activities of mineral oils and biogenic oil ester aerosols/vapors against a wide range of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. The results of the study showed that the aerosols/vapors obtained from mineral oil or vegetable oil ester under proper conditions can serve as an excellent antibacterial disinfectant.