Can pregnant women use mothballs?

The main function of mothballs is that they have a pungent smell and can produce a strong smell. They can mainly prevent the invasion of some foreign plants, such as cockroaches and insects, etc. Therefore, mothballs are almost always placed in the home, especially in the closet. Some pregnant women find it inconvenient to clean the house during pregnancy, so they use mothballs to repel insects. Can pregnant women use mothballs?

Can pregnant women use mothballs?

Pregnant women should not use mothballs.

There are two types of mothballs: natural mothballs and synthetic mothballs.

Most mothballs containing chlorine are white, have a pungent smell, and sink in water; while synthetic mothballs containing naphthalene or p-dichlorobenzene have a pungent smell. Dichlorobenzene is toxic and can cause symptoms of poisoning in humans, such as fatigue, dizziness, headache, diarrhea, etc.

Natural mothballs are smooth, colorless or white crystals with a pleasant smell that float in water. Natural mothballs used to prevent insects, moths and mildew are also called stinky beads. They were originally aromatic organic compounds extracted from the branches and leaves of the camphor tree.

More than 80% of the mothballs currently sold on the market contain naphthalene or paradichlorobenzene to varying degrees, and less than 1/6 of the products are printed with "absolutely free of naphthalene and paradichlorobenzene, safe, highly effective, non-toxic and harmless to the human body". Therefore, when purchasing moth repellents, you must pay attention to the ingredients marked on the packaging bag and never ignore them.

Therefore, it is recommended that you should avoid contact with mothballs during pregnancy, especially in the first few months when the fetus is developing. For the health of the next generation, it is best to stay away from mothballs.

Precautions for pregnant women to use mothballs

Pregnant women should not use mothballs. Synthetic mothballs are an organic compound. Mothballs containing naphthalene are mostly white, have a pungent smell, and sink in water. They are listed as carcinogens.

Camphor balls containing paradichlorobenzene and naphthalene are pesticide products and are generally used to prevent moths in industrial or agricultural products. Not suitable for daily use. A large amount of practice has proved that benzene substances are extremely harmful to human health. Therefore, the World Health Organization has classified it as a strong possible carcinogen.

Currently, all moth-proof products on the market, which are mainly based on mothballs, contain the above ingredients, but merchants cover up this fact in order to make profits. Knowing that such products are harmful to the human body, they claim that they are low-toxic or do not contain toxic ingredients. No matter what brand a merchant uses, the toxic substances in the raw materials will never change.