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Health Effects of Mothballs
Mothballs are nearly 100% active ingredient, and the active ingredient may be either naphthalene or paradichlorobenzene. Each active ingredient can cause different health effects if the exposure is high enough. Mothballs slowly turn from solids to toxic vapor. When you smell mothballs, you are inhaling the insecticide. Mothballs can also be dangerous if they are chewed or eaten. Children, pets and wildlife may mistake them for food or candy and eat them. One mothball can cause serious harm if eaten by a small child.
If someone has swallowed a mothball, call the Poison Control Center at 1-800-222-1222 for emergency medical advice. If you think your pet has eaten a mothball, contact your veterinarian or one of these emergency resources.
For additional information on the health effects of mothballs, see the resources below or call NPIC at 1-800-858-7378 (7:30am-3:30pm PST), or email at npic@ace.orst.edu.
To learn more about mothballs, choose from these topics:
- Chemical Properties and Environmental Fate of Mothballs
- Mothballs - Regulation, Proper Uses and Alternatives
- Naphthalene Information
- Paradichlorobenzene Information
Additional Resources:
Naphthalene Health Effects
- Naphthalene Technical Fact Sheet - NPIC
- Naphthalene Air Toxics Hazard Summary - U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
- Toxicity Summary for Naphthalene - Risk Assessment Information System (RAIS)
- ToxFAQs for Naphthalene - Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR)
- Health Effects Support Document for Naphthalene - U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
- Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS): Naphthalene - U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
- Naphthalene Toxicological Profile - Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR)
- Naphthalene - National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards
- Naphthalene Substance Profile - National Institutes of Health Report on Carcinogens
- Chronic Toxicity Summary: Naphthalene - Office of Environmental Health Hazards Assessment, State of California
- Naphthalene - International Programme on Chemical Safety (INCHEM)
- Moth Repellent Toxicosis in Pets - ASPCA Toxicology Brief, Veterinary Medicine
- Recognition and Management of Pesticide Poisonings: Fumigants - U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Paradichlorobenzene (1,4-Dichlorobenzene) Health Effects
- Paradichlorobenzene Technical Fact Sheet - NPIC
- ToxFAQs for Dichlorobenzenes - Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR)
- Dichlorobenzenes Toxicological Profile - Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR)
- 1,4-Dichlorobenzene (para-Dichlorobenzene) Air Toxics Hazard Summary - U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
- IRIS Toxicological Review and Summary Documents for 1,4-Dichlorobenzene - U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
- Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS): 1,4-Dichlorobenzene - U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
- 1,4-Dichlorobenzene Substance Profile - National Institutes of Health Report on Carcinogens
- Dichlorobenzenes - International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC)
- Toxicity Summary for 1,4-Dichlorobenzene - Risk Assessment Information System (RAIS)
- International Chemical Safety Card - International Programme on Chemical Safety (INCHEM)
- Moth Repellent Toxicosis in Pets - ASPCA Toxicology Brief, Veterinary Medicine
- Recognition and Management of Pesticide Poisonings: Fumigants - U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
