The Danger of Mothball Poisoning

 

I would urge all my readership to broadcast this important message to their family, friends, work

colleagues, and the general public by word of mouth, e- mail and any other form of communication !!

 

Peter Paton

 

 

 http://www.fox5atlanta.com/iteam/mothball.html

This story was first telecast on 4/26/01 and has not been updated.

Who isn't familiar with the smell of your grandmother's attic or maybe that old trunk filled with clothes? It's that pungent, chemical smell we associate with mothballs. Our I-Team investigation found they are a commonly used household product that are often misused and can be hazardous to your health.

Dispelling an Old Wives Tale

Andrew Segal and his family had birds in the attic; a local pest control company tossed as many as 250 mothballs around the attic to ward them off. They got rid of the birds, but the mothballs also ran the family out of the house.

Andrew remembers, "It didn't matter where you were in the house, the smell was all over the place. My wife started having severe headaches. I had really lost my appetite."

But it was the baby that worried them. She was two-weeks old and premature, and her crib sat dangerously close to the attic stairs. The Segals read the back of the mothball box which said, "May be fatal if inhaled." They'd been breathing mothball vapors for six hours. Andrew decided it was time to call the Georgia Poison Control Center.

"They started telling me all the potential problems of respiratory distress, nausea, vomiting, prolonged exposure can cause kidney failure and others things," said Andrew Segal. "I'm thinking, from mothballs?"

The poison center confirmed, mothball vapors can be flat-out dangerous, especially for children.

"Who knows what could happen in a kid having a developing kidney or developing liver or developing blood system," said Dr. Gaylord Lopez, director of the Georgia Poison Control Center. "It can be extremely toxic to those people."


But the Segals weren't the only ones overcome by mothballs. Jackie Nims was going through the same thing.

Ms. Nims told the I-Team, "I had heard forever that you use mothballs to get rid of squirrels."

The fumes became so bad in her house, the insulation had to be removed immediately. The Segals also had to undertake the expensive process of having every piece of insulation taken out.

In fact, mothballs are made up of 99 percent naphthalene, a chemical that is monitored by the Environmental Protection Agency. Our investigation found that in one year the EPA logged 1,767 cases of mothball poisoning, two-thirds of those who got sick were children.

What's So Dangerous?

Mothballs are meant to kill moths, eggs and larvae in airtight containers so that none of the harmful vapors are released. The Segals spent a night in a hotel to get away from the vapors in their house, but when they returned they discovered how dangerous mothballs can be. The birds they were trying to get rid of were dead. Within 24-hours, the poison only meant to run them off, killed them.

"You can imagine, if it would kill the birds just based on the odor, it can't be doing wonderful things for people who are breathing it," remarked Andrew Segal.

Seeking Help

If you suspect you might be suffering from prolonged exposure to mothball vapors, please call Georgia Poison Control Center at 404-616-9000. Remember, mothballs are a useful product, if used correctly. 

"Mothball Dangers" was reported by Dana Fowle. Mindy Larcom was the producer. Travis Shields photographed the story and Chris Dixon edited it. Michael Carlin is the executive producer of the I-Team.

This story was first telecast on 4/26/01 and has not been updated.


I-TEAM TIP LINE: 404-898-0242
You can contact I-Team reporter Dana Fowle at dfowl342.foxtv.com.