About Mothball Poisoning
Mothballs contain chemicals that are poisonous if inhaled, absorbed by the skin or ingested. The two common chemical components of mothballs are naphthalene and paradichlorobenzene (PDCB), both are volatile solids slowly vaporizing over time. The vapor released is what makes the compounds effective pesticides, which in turn makes them an effective poison to humans.
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History
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Mothballs can be mistaken as candy by a child.
Mothballs were originally used as a fumigant against moths, hence their name, mothballs. Originally mothballs were made from naphthalene and later from PDCB. PDCB is less poisonous than naphthalene. The two chemicals are both white crystalline solids with a pungent characteristic odor. They are placed with clothes or materials where they slowly release their lethal vapors which prevent moths from laying eggs effectively inhibiting the growth of moth larvae. Moth larvae are known to feed on clothes effectively damaging the clothes. People also use mothballs to repel critters from their backyards and flower beds, which makes the mothballs more available to harm dogs and cats.
Effects
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Mothballs are considered a poison to humans. Once ingested they cause the victims stomach to get upset, followed by a abnormal stimulation of the central nervous system leading to lethargy and seizures. Once naphthalene enters the blood stream, it can cause hemolysis (red cell destruction) which is especially noticeable in people with G6PD deficiency. PDCB is better tolerated in adults when ingested, except at high toxic concentrations where it causes tremors and hemolytic anemia. Inhalation of the mothball vapors also constitutes a hazard to health, with irritation occurring to the victim's nasal passages, throat and lungs, eventually causing some neurological symptoms like confusion, excitement and depression. Long-term exposure to the mothball vapor can lead to kidney and liver damage.
Significance
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Always call the poison center when someone is exposed to naphthalene at toxic concentrations. There are no specific antidotes available to combat the effect of the poisoning, but once in the hospital, decontamination procedures are put into effect. Before hospitalization, in the case of naphthalene ingestion, you can feed the victim activated charcoal if possible, but do not induce vomiting because that increases the risk of lethargy and seizures. Activated charcoal is not necessary after PDCB ingestion.
Warning
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Volatile Substance Abuse, or VSA, is a dangerous way to get high with one third of the people who attempt it dying. There is a trend where teenagers sniff mothballs to get high. This habit is very dangerous. It leads to the development of a scaly rash, an unsteady gait and mental incapacitation. Mothball exposure has been linked to cancer in lab animals. In the United States, there are illegally imported mothballs that contain higher concentrations of naphthalene. At these high concentrations, if inhaled there is an elevated risk to developing nasal cancer. If you have mothballs in your home, make sure that your mothballs are EPA approved.
Prevention/Solution
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Avoid using mothballs in closed spaces as there is no way to escape their vapor exposure. If you have to use mothballs, use PDCB containing mothballs which have been proven to be less harmful. Make sure you use mothballs sparingly and in a well ventilated rooms. After storing clothes in mothballs, make sure that they are sufficiently aired out and washed to avoid contact absorption.
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