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Taking Your Woolies out of Mothballs?
Once they're out of the box, mothballs look like candy to children. If you're unpacking your winter clothes now, the mothballs are loose and the box is not around.
But if you look at a box of mothballs, it is clear that mothballs are pesticides. There is a lot of required information about how and when to use them, what to do if someone swallows them, and how to dispose of them properly. This information is required by law, because mothballs ARE pesticides.
An active ingredient in some mothballs is naphthalene. If swallowed, naphthalene can damage red blood cells, causing kidney damage and many other problems. It can affect how blood carries oxygen to the heart, brain, and other organs. It can also cause nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, seizures and coma. Breathing in the fumes over a period of time can cause poisoning, too. Children have been poisoned by wearing wool clothing stored with naphthalene mothballs, although this is rare.
The active ingredient in other mothballs is paradichlorobenzene. This is less toxic, but the fumes can still be irritating or even poisonous.
Whether you are getting your winter clothes ready for upcoming cold weather or storing boxes of mothballs, there are some safety tips to prevent family members and pets from being poisoned.
- Be sure that loose mothballs and boxes of mothballs are kept where children cannot find them.
- Follow all label directions carefully. These products are legal to use on and around clothing. They are NOT legal to use loose in the attic, in the eaves, or on the ground outside in an attempt to repel animals.
- Wash clothing and bedding that has been stored in mothballs before wearing or using it. (Some authorities believe that it's hard to wash naphthalene out of fabrics.)
- Dispose of mothballs with other household hazardous waste. (Hazardous waste collection sites differ by county.)
- If you think that anyone has swallowed mothballs, call the National Capital Poison Center right away. Call 1-800-222-1222 any time of the day. The experts there will tell you exactly what to do.
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Safe Use of Art Products
Art activities are an important part of child development, and lots of fun! Art products are mixtures of chemicals. They should be used correctly. Many young children will swallow or chew pretty, colorful art products. Read on... | |
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Grab a Green Bottle
Is is water, soda, or something else?? If you look quickly, it's hard to tell. One of these bottles contains imported sparkling water. Another contains a popular soft drink. The third? That one contains plant food. Drinking it may not hurt you, but it will be a nasty surprise.
ALWAYS store food separately from other products. ALWAYS read the label before eating or drinking anything. And ALWAYS keep the poison center number close by, just in case: 1-800-222-1222. Call right away if you've swallowed something you shouldn't have. |
Caution With Caustics
Chemical burns are one of the most devastating injuries that can happen at home. Recently, a young child drank from a container of cleaning fluid that his dad brought home from work. The liquid burned his mouth and throat, then burned all the way down to his stomach. He survived, but with serious injuries. He will need surgery many times over the next several years. More... | |
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