Q. I received a list of “helpful hints” in an email recently stating that if you have arthritis or joint pain, you should spray WD-40 on it. Could this possibly be true? It seems that it might be more harmful than good.
A. WD-40 is made of petroleum products and is designed to lubricate stiff or squeaky metal hinges or joints. People have tried putting it on their own stiff joints but we cannot recommend this tactic. There have been reports of people developing chemical pneumonitis, an inflammation of the lungs, after accidentally inhaling WD-40.
A physician told us several years ago that a patient of his developed muscle breakdown after repeatedly applying WD-40 to his joints. He had to be hospitalized.
