Welcome to brain Stuff from house Stuff Works dot com where smart Happens. Hi Am Marshall Brain with today's question, what is in moth balls and is it harmful to people? Clothes? Moths can be a real problem in clothes made from natural fibers, especially wool. There are two different types of moth balls used to combat these moths. In one type, the maid ingredient is naphthaline, and in the other it's paradichlorobenzene. The idea with both chemicals is to kill moths and
moth larva with the fumes. Both naphthaline and paradichloro benzene sublimate, meaning that they transition straight from solid to gas. The gas is a toxin to the maths. For either of these chemicals to be effective, they need to be placed with the clothing in a sealed container so that the fumes can build up and kill the maths. In a sealed atmosphere like this, the fumes are not harmful to
people because they are contained. The main threat would occur when opening the containers or from wearing clothes immediately after opening, which is especially a problem for infants. A solution is to open the containers outside and then let the clothes hang in air out for a day or two before wearing. We all seem to have that aunt whose entire house smells like mothballs, and we've all walked into a public restroom where the smell of parodichloral benzine is nearly overpowering.
Are these fumes healthy? The answer is probably not. Neither of these chemicals is particularly good for people to breathe on a regular basis. Airing out clothes is a way to limit the exposure unless toxic. Alternative is cedar blocks, shavings, or oil. The blocks are expensive, but cedar shavings in the form of hamster bedding can be really inexpensive. Again, the container needs to be closed in order for the cedar sent to have any real effect on the moths.
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