Small pellets of chemical pesticide and deodorant
Mothballs are small balls of chemical
pesticide
and
deodorant
, sometimes used when storing clothing and other materials susceptible to damage from
silverfish
,
mold
or
moth
larvae (especially
clothes moths
like
Tineola bisselliella
).
Composition
[
edit
]
Older mothballs consisted primarily of
naphthalene
, but due to naphthalene's flammability, many modern mothball formulations instead use
1,4-dichlorobenzene
. The latter formulation may be somewhat less flammable, although both chemicals have the same
NFPA 704
rating for flammability. The latter chemical is also variously labeled as para-dichlorobenzene, p-dichlorobenzene, pDCB, or PDB, making it harder to identify unless all these names and initialisms are known to a potential purchaser. Both of these formulations have the strong, pungent, sickly-sweet odor often associated with mothballs. Both naphthalene and 1,4-dichlorobenzene undergo
sublimation
, meaning that they transition from a solid state directly into a gas; this gas is toxic to moths and moth larvae.
[1]
Due to the health risks of 1,4-dichlorobenzene, and flammability of naphthalene, other substances like
camphor
are sometimes used.
Uses
[
edit
]
Mothballs are stored in air-tight bags made of a non-reactive plastic such as
polyethylene
or
polypropylene
(other plastics may be degraded or softened). The clothing to be protected should be sealed within airtight containers; otherwise the vapors will tend to escape into the surrounding environment.
[1]
Manufacturer's instructions regularly warn against using mothballs for any purpose other than those specified by the packaging, as such uses are not only harmful and noxious, they are also frequently considered illegal.
[2]
[1]
Although occasionally used as snake repellent, mothball use as a rodent, squirrel, or bat repellent is illegal in many areas, and tends to cause more annoyance and hazard to humans than to the target pest.
[3]
[1]
However, mothballs continue to be advertised as squirrel repellent and are an ingredient in some commercial vermin and snake repellent products.
Health risks
[
edit
]
The
US Department of Health and Human Services
(DHHS) has determined that 1,4-dichlorobenzene "may reasonably be anticipated to be a
carcinogen
". This has been indicated by animal studies, although a full-scale human study has not been done.
[4]
The
National Toxicology Program
(NTP), the
International Agency for Research on Cancer
(IARC) and the
state of California
consider 1,4-dichlorobenzene a carcinogen.
[5]
Exposure to naphthalene mothballs can cause acute
hemolysis
(anemia) in people with
glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency
.
[6]
IARC classifies naphthalene as possibly carcinogenic to humans and other animals (see also
Group 2B
).
[7]
IARC points out that acute exposure causes
cataracts
in humans, rats, rabbits, and mice. Chronic exposure to naphthalene vapors is reported to also cause cataracts and
retinal hemorrhage
.
[8]
Under California's
Proposition 65
, naphthalene is listed as "known to the State to cause cancer".
[9]
Research at the
University of Colorado at Boulder
revealed a probable mechanism for the carcinogenic effects of mothballs and some types of air fresheners.
[10]
[11]
In addition to their cancer risks, mothballs are known to cause liver and kidney damage.
[1]
1,4-Dichlorobenzene is a
neurotoxin
. It has been abused as an
inhalant
, causing a variety of neurotoxic effects.
[12]
[13]
Mothballs containing naphthalene have been banned within the
EU
since 2008.
[14]
[15]
Alternatives
[
edit
]
As discussed in more detail at
Tineola bisselliella
, alternatives to mothballs to control clothes moths include dry cleaning, freezing, thorough vacuuming, and washing in hot water.
[16]
Camphor
is also used as a moth repellent, particularly in China.
[17]
Unlike
naphthalene
and
dichlorobenzene
, camphor has medicinal applications and is not regarded as a carcinogen, though it is toxic in large doses.
Red cedar
wood and oil is also used as an alternative moth repellent.
[18]
Pheromone traps
are also an effective diagnostic tool and can sometimes be an effective control tool to protect valuable clothing.
In popular culture
[
edit
]
As a verb, "mothball" has a metaphorical usage, meaning "to stop work on an idea, plan, or job, but leaving it in such a way that work can continue in the future".
[19]
"Mothballed" is a common adjective to describe ships or aircraft which are stored for long periods, but not sent for scrapping.
The origins of this use of "mothballed" may have been reports that the ocean liner
SS Normandie
was "packed in mothballs" when in September 1939 it was 'interned' by the U.S. Government in New York. The papers reported a month later that "fourteen huge barrels of mothballs had been used to preserve carpets, draperies, and upoholstery".
[20]
The ship was at the time expected to remain in New York for the duration of the war, but after the attack on Pearl Harbor she was converted to a troop ship.
The US Navy planned to store fighting ships in 1945, but keep them ready for rapid return to service. By 1946 these ships were referred to as being "mothballed". The process however did not mention mothballs, but rust preventative coating, sealing compartments, removing equipment, and covering topside equipment, as well as protecting the hull. Mothballed ships were expected to be able to resume active service in just 10 days.
[21]
United States Navy reserve fleets
are still informally referred to as the 'mothball fleet'.
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
"What You Should Know About Mothballs: Protecting Your Children and Educating Childcare Providers"
(PDF)
.
ldh.la.gov
. Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals.
Archived
(PDF)
from the original on June 11, 2021
. Retrieved
April 22,
2021
.
- ^
Uncommon Uses for Common Household Products
. Frank W. Cawood and Associates. 2000. p. 126.
ISBN
978-1-890957-39-1
.
Archived
from the original on August 6, 2020
. Retrieved
November 3,
2016
.
- ^
"Problem Wildlife in the Garden and Yard"
.
NPIC
. National Pesticide Information Center.
Archived
from the original on October 23, 2020
. Retrieved
February 21,
2016
.
- ^
"ToxFAQs™ for Dichlorobenzenes"
.
Toxic Substances Portal
. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.
Archived
from the original on November 26, 2020
. Retrieved
May 24,
2013
.
- ^
"p-dichlorobenzene (1,4-dichlorobenzene)"
(PDF)
.
Material Safety Data Sheet
. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on May 22, 2013
. Retrieved
May 24,
2013
.
- ^
Santucci, K; Shah, B. (January 2000). "Association of naphthalene with acute hemolytic anemia".
Academic Emergency Medicine
. 7(1):42-7.
- ^
"Some Traditional Herbal Medicines, Some Mycotoxins, Naphthalene and Styrene"
.
IARC Monographs on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans
.
82
: 367. 2002.
Archived
from the original on March 25, 2016
. Retrieved
December 25,
2008
.
- ^
"Naphthalene"
.
Air Toxics Web Site
. US Environmental Protection Agency.
Archived
from the original on May 10, 2015
. Retrieved
May 24,
2013
.
- ^
Proposition 65
Archived
July 29, 2019, at the
Wayback Machine
, Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment
- ^
"Scientists May Have Solved Mystery Of Carcinogenic Mothballs"
Archived
October 10, 2008, at the
Wayback Machine
.
Physorg.com
. June 20, 2006.
- ^
"Mothballs, air fresheners and cancer"
.
Environmental Health Association of Nova Scotia
.
Archived
from the original on February 22, 2020
. Retrieved
May 24,
2013
.
- ^
"Mothball sniffing warning issued"
Archived
November 27, 2020, at the
Wayback Machine
.
BBC News
. July 27, 2006.
- ^
"Twin Girls with Neurocutaneous Symptoms Caused by Mothball Intoxication"
Archived
September 21, 2013, at the
Wayback Machine
.
The New England Journal of Medicine
. July 27, 2006.
- ^
Gray, Kerrina (November 17, 2013).
"Council warned against use of poisonous moth balls"
.
Your Local Guardian
. Newsquest (London) Ltd.
Archived
from the original on December 2, 2013
. Retrieved
November 23,
2012
.
- ^
Alderson, Andrew (November 15, 2008).
"Holy straight bananas ? now the Eurocrats are banning moth balls"
.
The Telegraph
.
Archived
from the original on January 3, 2014
. Retrieved
November 23,
2013
.
- ^
Eisenberg, Sheryl.
"Mothballed"
.
This Green Life
. Natural Resources Defense Council.
Archived
from the original on May 22, 2013
. Retrieved
May 24,
2013
.
- ^
??院???、?生部?于停止生?和???丸提倡使用樟?制品的通知(????(1993)64?)
- ^
Back, E.A.; Rabak, F. (1923).
Red Cedar Chests as Protectors Against Moth Damage
. Bulletin of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Archived
from the original on March 11, 2022
. Retrieved
December 28,
2020
.
- ^
"Mothball"
.
dictionary.cambridge.org
. Cambridge Dictionary.
Archived
from the original on September 2, 2019
. Retrieved
September 2,
2019
.
- ^
"Normandie's Inactivity".
Belfast Telegraph
. October 9, 1939. p. 5.
- ^
"A fleet in storage".
Birmingham Daily Gazette
. April 8, 1946. p. 5.
External links
[
edit
]
Look up
mothball
in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.