What Are the Dangers of Mothballs in Kid's Closets?

Most people recognize the distinctive smell of mothballs, which can saturate your clothing for years. Keeping mothballs in the closet is an effective way of protecting your garments, but you need to be aware of their potential health hazards if you have kids. The active ingredient is mothballs is a chemical called naphthalene. While it is generally safe if you or your kids are exposed to it in small doses, high levels of exposure can be dangerous.

Instructions

- 1
  Use mothballs in small doses and keep them only in closets. Acute exposure to naphthalene can cause hemolytic anemia and liver damage, and neurological damage in infants, even through inhalation. Get rid of mothballs and take your child to the hospital if he experiences nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or anemia that you suspect is caused by mothballs. Use mothballs only if you detect moths in your closets, and make sure they are kept out of your child's closet.
- 2
  Do not keep mothballs in a place where children might play with them or ingest them. While inhalation of naphthalene poses some risk, a much greater danger occurs with skin contact or ingesting moth balls. Children who find mothballs might be tempted to eat them. In addition to the dangers of naphthalene, children might choke on mothballs.
- 3
  Keep your house free of mothballs if your child has a glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency. An Australian study found that children with this deficiency who came into contact with clothing stored with mothballs had a greater chance of developing massive hemolysis within hours. This can cause severe jaundice, which can result in brain damage or even death.

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