Are mothballs harmful to the body?

I like to put some mothballs at home. First of all, mothballs can prevent cockroaches. Many insects can be killed with mothballs. Grind the mothballs and put them around the corners to prevent insects from entering. This way, the human body will not be infected with skin diseases due to insect bites. Some people put mothballs in clothes to prevent insects from getting infested on clothes. It can also prevent termites from directly biting the corners of clothes. However, the main ingredient of mothballs is made of dioxide, which is a pesticide product. It was originally used in industry, but you must pay attention to it in medical aspects. Therefore, many people who use mothballs for a long time may inhale them into the lungs, causing diseases and inflammation in the body. Do not use mothballs excessively. It is okay to use one or two occasionally.

Are mothballs poisonous?

Camphor balls contain p-dichlorobenzene and naphthalene. They are pesticide products and are generally used to prevent moths in industrial or agricultural products. Not suitable for daily use. A large amount of practice has proved that benzene substances are extremely harmful to human health. Therefore, the World Health Organization has classified it as a strong carcinogen.

All the moth-proofing products on the market that use mothballs as the main component contain the above ingredients, so if you can avoid using mothballs at home, do so.

The content of paradichlorobenzene in moth repellent is >95%, which is a toxic volatile organic compound. Long-term contact with the human body can cause symptoms such as dizziness, vomiting, skin allergies, and numbness of the limbs. Excessive use can also cause lung dysfunction, liver damage, acute hemolytic anemia, respiratory tract irritation, etc. In severe cases, it can even cause cancer.

Paradichlorobenzene can be inhaled by the human body through the respiratory tract, and eating food contaminated by it and local skin contact can also cause poisoning.

Acute or short-term exposure to P-DCB (the abbreviation of paradichlorobenzene) can cause acute hemolytic anemia, respiratory tract irritation, skin allergic purpura and glomerulonephritis. Long-term exposure to mothballs can cause great harm to the body.

How to prevent the harm of mothballs to people

How to prevent the harm of mothballs to people

Clothes that have come into contact with mothballs or moth balls, especially underwear, should be dried in the sun before wearing, or placed in a cool place for a few days to allow the "benzene" that has seeped into the clothes to evaporate, so as not to endanger human health. If you want to remove the camphor smell from clothes immediately, you can put the clothes in a plastic bag, put in the deodorant used in the refrigerator, and tie the bag tightly. The camphor smell will disappear quickly.

Whether it is adults or children, long-term exposure to mothballs can cause great harm to the body.

After placing mothballs on adult clothes, they should be exposed to the sun for a while before being worn. This is to prevent neonatal hemolysis from occurring after contact with the naphthol smell.

Camphor balls come from natural camphor trees. The trunk, roots, branches and leaves of the camphor trees are distilled to produce camphor oil, which is then purified to make white crystals. Household mothballs are often used in wardrobes and windows to repel pests, and their pungent smell confuses friends.

Precautions for using mothballs

Mothballs and moth balls are both effective insect repellents. However, there are essential differences between the two: camphor balls come from natural camphor trees; the trunks, roots, branches and leaves of the camphor trees are distilled to obtain camphor oil, which is then purified to make white crystals; mothballs are made from a crystal called "naphthalene" extracted from coal tar, with a small amount of dichlorobenzene added.

Synthetic fibers are not afraid of insects and do not require mothballs

Synthetic fibers are not afraid of insects, so there is no need to put mothballs or even sanitary balls when storing this type of clothes.

Because the moxa ball is a highly volatile organic solvent, it can react chemically with the high-molecular organic compounds in synthetic fibers, damaging the clothing, reducing the fiber strength, or dissolving the chemical fiber fabric into tiny holes.