Is naphthalene a drug?

Naphthalene or mothballs, a commonly used substance in households and freely available in the market is an uncommon form of inhalant abuse which may lead to severe medical complications. We report an adolescent with addiction to naphthalene balls who developed severe anemia.

Do mothballs get you high?

July 27, 2006 -- Teens who sniff or chew mothballs to get high may be taking a big health risk. Abusing the chemical in mothballs can cause mental sluggishness, unsteady walking, and skin rashskin rash, warn French doctors who treated a girl hospitalized for the problem in Marseille.

What happens when you sniff naphthalene?

Inhalation of naphthalene may cause skin and eye irritation; gastrointestinal symptoms, such as nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, and diarrhea; neurologic symptoms, such as confusion, excitement, and convulsions; renal problems, such as acute renal shutdown; and hematologic features, such as icterus and severe anemia ...

What is the drug moth?

Modern mothballs use a different chemical, called para-dichlorobenzene (p-DCB) because naphthalene is flammable. This compound, like naphthalene, gives off a strong odor and can kill moth larvae. This chemical is also used as a disinfectant, often in bathroom garbage cans and in urinals cakes.

Can you be addicted to mothballs?

Naphthalene or mothballs, a commonly used substance in households and freely available in the market is an uncommon form of inhalant abuse which may lead to severe medical complications. We report an adolescent with addiction to naphthalene balls who developed severe anemia.

Mothball Sniffing | My Strange Addiction

What happens if you smoke a mothball?

Effects and Risks

Like many inhalants, mothballs cause lightheadedness, dizziness and lethargy when abused. Headaches, nausea, vomiting and stomach pain are also common symptoms, and inhaling the harsh chemicals irritates the airways and eyes.

What is the smell of naphthalene?

Naphthalene is either a white solid or a liquid with a strong odor like mothballs. It's used to make dyes, explosives, plastics, lubricants, and is found naturally in crude oil. It is also found in coal tar wastes at former manufactured gas plants. Coal tars were byproducts at these plants.

Do mothballs smell good?

What do moth balls smell like? The pyrethroid in modern mothballs is odourless. Traditional moth balls, the ones we know from our childhoods, contain one of two chemicals, napthalene or paradichlorobenzene. These are white opaque crystal-like balls and they have a tell-tale strong, unpleasant, acrid smell.

What do mothballs smell like?

What is this? Mothballs smell bitter and chemicals like house paint, ammonia, or cigarette smoke. Although some more modern brands of mothballs don't have a strong smell, good old classic mothballs can have a pungent, lingering odor. Mothballs often contain napthalene or paradichlorobenzene.

Is naphthalene poisonous to humans?

Acute (short- term) exposure of humans to naphthalene by inhalation, ingestion, and dermal contact is associated with hemolytic anemia, damage to the liver, and neurological damage.

Can you sleep in a room with mothballs?

' and the answer to this question is yes, potentially. According to the National Pesticide Information Center (NPIC), the chemicals use in mothballs can be toxic to humans and pets and as people are exposed to these chemicals that are released as toxic fumes in the air space of the home.

How much naphthalene is harmful?

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in the United States has established a permissible exposure limit (PEL) of 10 ppm for naphthalene. The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) established an immediately dangerous to life or health (IDLH) value of 250 ppm for naphthalene.

What are mouth balls?

Mothballs are small balls of chemical pesticide and deodorant, sometimes used when storing clothing and other materials susceptible to damage from mold or moth larvae (especially clothes moths like Tineola bisselliella).

What are naphthalene balls?

BB Home Naphthalene Balls are small balls of chemical pesticide and deodorant. It is made with high-quality materials that keep the clothes fragrant. It helps to kill moths and other fabric pests.

Is naphthalene a liquid?

Naphthalene (NAF-thuh-leen) is a white crystalline volatile solid with a characteristic odor often associated with mothballs. The compound sublimes (turns from a solid to a gas) slowly at room temperature, producing a vapor that is highly combustible.

Are mothballs illegal?

Regulation of Mothballs

Using mothballs in a way not specified by the label is not only illegal, but can harm people, pets or the environment. Some mothballs for sale may be illegal, which means they were imported without oversight of the product contents or labeling.

What happens when you put mothballs in water?

At hazardous waste sites and landfills, naphthalene can dissolve in water, attach to soil, and leach into underground drinking water. Some naphthalene dissolves in rivers, lakes, or wells and evaporates within two weeks. Bacteria destroy naphthalene in water.

What are the uses of naphthalene?

Naphthalene is an aromatic hydrocarbon found in coal tar or crude oil. Naphthalene is used in the manufacture of plastics, resins, fuels, and dyes. It is also used as a fumigant insecticide that works by turning directly from a solid into a toxic vapor. This process is called sublimation.

What is the common name of naphthalene?

Naphthalene is also known as napthene, naphthalin, camphor tar, and white tar.

What is the difference between camphor and naphthalene?

As nouns the difference between camphor and naphthalene is that camphor is (organic compound) a white transparent waxy crystalline isoprenoid ketone, with a strong pungent odour, used in pharmacy while naphthalene is a white crystalline hydrocarbon manufactured from coal tar; used in mothballs.

Can you still buy naphthalene flakes?

Loose naphthalene balls and flake for domestic use are not legal products, but may be singled out for special scheduling controls.

What will happen if we smell petrol?

Breathing in petrol fumes (not vehicle exhaust) may cause dizziness, drowsiness headaches. Breathing in large amounts can result in coma, loss of muscle control, heart and lung problems.

How do you get rid of the smell of naphthalene?

Wash with Vinegar.

Run the machine, letting the clothing and shoes soak in the vinegar-water solution. Afterwards, wash the clothes with your regular detergent and fabric softener. Either air out the clothing or toss them in the dryer to finish up. The mothball smell should be gone.

Are naphthalene balls fatal?

A number of deaths have been reported following intentional ingestion of naphthalene-containing mothballs (ATSDR, 1990). The estimated lethal dose of naphthalene is 5-15 g for adults and 2-3 g for children. Naphthalene is a primary skin irritant and is acutely irritating to the eyes of humans (Sandmeyer, 1981).