Description
Naphthalene is a white solid in the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon class of chemicals. It has a strong odor.
The primary household products made from naphthalene are moth balls (or moth flakes) and deodorant blocks for toilets and diaper pails. Some toilet bowl cleaners may also contain naphthalene. Children may be exposed to the fumes or could accidentally ingest the moth balls.
Naphthalene occurs naturally in fossil fuels such as petroleum and coal. It is produced when wood and tobacco are burned, and manufactured from coal tar distillation and petroleum refining. Naphthalene is used to make dyes, some plastics, leather tanning agents, and the insecticide carbaryl. This industrial use is a potential source of naphthalene emissions into air, water or soil. However, naphthalene breaks down fairly quickly.
Health Effects
Immediate Health Effects
- If SWALLOWED, naphthalene is Highly Toxic
- If ABSORBED THROUGH SKIN, naphthalene is Very Highly Toxic
- If INHALED (SNIFFED OR BREATHED IN), naphthalene is Highly Toxic
Longterm or Delayed Health Effects
- This chemical is considered an Unclassifiable Carcinogen by the World Health Organization, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, or another agency.
- Neurotoxin = Can harm brain and central nervous system
Other
- Naphthalene is a blood toxicant. Exposure to high concentrations of naphthalene can damage or destroy red blood cells, causing a condition called hemolytic anemia. This can cause fatigue, lack of appetite, headache, nausea, bloody or darkened urine, restlessness, a yellow or pale appearance, and in severe cases, kidney failure.
Ingesting naphthalene mothballs may also cause methemoglobinemia, in which blood loses its ability to transfer oxygen from the lungs to tissues. This condition can rapidly result in coma and death if not recognized and treated appropriately. The first symptoms are a blue-gray skin color, shortness of breath, rapid pulse, and irritability or lethargy.
Naphthalene is potentially more dangerous to some African Americans and to persons of Mediterranean origin (e.g. Greek or Sicilian) who have lower amounts of the enzyme that aids in the metabolism of this compound.
- Naphthalene fumes can irritate eyes, skin, and respiratory tract.
- If inhaled over a long period of time, may cause kidney and liver damage; skin allergy/dermatitis; cataracts and retina damage.
- If inhaled, can affect the central nervous system, causing headache, confusion, nausea, fatigue, vomiting, sweating, and disorientation.
Gastrointestinal disorders are common effects if naphthalene is swallowed. Nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and diarrhea have been reported.
- Inhaling naphthalene fumes can cause brain damage in infants.
- Naphthalene has caused cancer in test animals inhaling it.
How Exposures Occur
Accidental Ingestion
- Children may eat naphthalene-containing mothballs or deodorizing blocks used in toilets and diaper pails. They can also ingest naphthalene by touching the naphthalene products and putting their fingers in their mouths. A child playing in dirt that has naphthalene from a waste site could ingest the contaminated soil.
Contaminated Well Water
- Children may be exposed to naphthalene in drinking water if they live near a hazardous waste site and draw their water from a private well.
From Indoor Air
- Children can be exposed to naphthalene by breathing contaminated indoor air. Indoor air levels of naphthalene can rise with the presence of tobacco smoke in the home and use of mothballs, deodorizing blocks for toilets and diaper pails, and some toilet bowl cleaners. Clothing stored with mothballs may continue to emit naphthalene vapors, exposing children if they spend time in or near such clothing.
In Food
- If naphthalene is used to treat lice or disinfect wounds on dairy cows or chickens, it can contaminate their milk and eggs. But this is unlikely source of exposure.
Inhaling Industrial Emissions
- Children can inhale trace amounts of naphthalene in air contaminated with industrial discharges or from burning wood or fossil fuels.
Through the Skin
- Naphthalene can be absorbed through the skin. Children can be exposed by touching mothballs or deodorizing blocks.
Significant Statistics
As much as 95-100% of a typical commercial moth control product may consist of paradichlorobenzene or naphthalene.
Goldberg, Jennie. Clothing Moths. Washington Toxics Coalition, September 1995.http://www.watoxics.org/pages/root.aspx?fromMenu=-1&pos=4|0|5
Most of the naphthalene entering the environment is from the burning of woods and fossil fuels in the home. The second greatest release of naphthalene is through the use of moth repellents.
Public Health Statement for Naphthalene, 1-Methylnaphthalene, 2-Methylnaphthalene. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, August 1995.
http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/ToxProfiles/phs9018.html
Homeowners purchase between 2 and 4 million pounds of naphthalene every year in the U.S.
1998-1999 Pesticide Market Estimates. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances, August 2002. http://www.epa.gov/oppbead1/pestsales/99pestsales/table_of_contents1999.html
Solutions
How to detect naphthalene
- Read labels on any moth-repelling product before purchase. Sachets of cedar or herbs may also contain naphthalene. If you are unsure about the ingredients in such products, ask the manufacturer to send you a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS), which they are required to provide.
Smell the product. Naphthalene in mothballs or in clothing that has been stored near mothballs can be identified by naphthalene’s distinct odor.
A search for naphthalene in the National Library of Medicine’s Household Products Database will show a list of products that contain it.
- To find out if any industrial emissions of naphthalene have occurred near your home, see Environmental Defense’s Scorecard.
- You can test your drinking water for naphthalene. For information on testing private wells and for state-certified laboratories, see the U.S. EPA Safe Drinking Water Pages, or call the Safe Drinking Water Hotline, 800-426-4791.
- Dispose of mothballs and deodorizing blocks carefully to prevent children from finding them. Contact you local sanitation department or look up the hazardous waste rules in your community on Earth’s 911.
How to minimize exposure to naphthalene
- Avoid using mothballs and deodorizer blocks in your home, particularly if you have small children, who may mistake them for candy and eat them. If you have used them, open windows and provide adequate ventilation throughout the home to reduce naphthalene fumes. Mothball-scented clothing and bedding should be thoroughly washed before use. Wash mothball-treated clothing and bedding thoroughly before use.
- Reduce your children’s exposure to secondhand cigarette smoke.
Alternatives
- To prevent moth infestations: Store clean clothing in airtight containers or sealed bags with cedar blocks, cedar shavings (available as cage bedding in pet stores), or cedar oil. Place cedar in drawers and closets. Inspect any used clothing or furniture carefully for moths or larvae before bringing them into the house, or clean them first.
Vigorously shaking clothes will remove larvae and eggs (remember to vacuum well afterwards). And the heat of the dryer will also kill larvae and eggs.
Avoid accumulating unused woolens. Never store dirty clothes.
- Use mild and nontoxic cleaners. See Recipes for Safer Cleaners.
- To minimize unpleasant odors, keep toilets, garbage cans, and diaper pails clean. Leave an open box of baking soda nearby to absorb odors, and be sure your home is well-ventilated. How to Freshen Indoor Air Naturally has more suggestions.
For More information
Books, articles, factsheets and reports
Hazardous Products in the Home: Mothballs. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5, and Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Purdue University.
http://pasture.ecn.purdue.edu/~epados/waste/house/mothball.htm
ToxFAQs for Naphthalene, 1-Methylnaphthalene, 2-Methylnaphthalene. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, September 1995.
http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/tfacts67.html
Goldberg, Jennie. Clothing Moths. Washington Toxics Coalition, September 1995.
http://www.watoxics.org/pages/root.aspx?fromMenu=-1&pos=4|0|5
Other government agencies
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
Division of Toxicology
1600 Clifton Road NE, Mailstop E-29
Atlanta, GA 30333
800-447-1544
http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov
National Toxicology Program
National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences
P.O.Box 12233
Research Triangle Park, NC 27709
919-541-3345
http://ntp-server.niehs.nih.gov/
Nonprofit organizations
Washington Toxics Coalition
4649 Sunnyside Ave N
Suite 540
Seattle, WA 98103
206-632-1545
http://www.watoxics.org
Other websites
Environmental Defense Chemical Scorecard
http://www.scorecard.org
Pesticide Action Network Pesticide Database
http://www.pesticideinfo.org
Pesticide Action Network Pesticide Advisor
http://www.panna.org/resources/advisor.dv.html
