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Last updated: 28 January What is naphthalene? How can I be exposed to naphthalene? What effect can naphthalene have on health? There is no direct evidence that naphthalene can cause cancer in people. How should naphthalene be used safely? Further information Further advice concerning the health risks of naphthalene can be obtained 24 hours a day, 7 days a week Australia wide from the NSW Poisons Information Centre on 13 11 26, or from local Public Health Units In NSW call to talk to your local public health unit.
Overview Naphthalene is a white, crystalline solid that is flammable and smells strongly of mothballs. Uses of naphthalene Naphthalene is the most abundant component of coal tar, which is the liquid byproduct of the distillation of coal into coke for use as a smokeless fuel.
How naphthalene gets into the environment Naphthalene does not occur naturally in the environment. Exposure to naphthalene Exposure is most likely to occur in an occupational setting. How exposure to naphthalene could affect your health The presence of naphthalene in the environment does not always lead to exposure.
Following exposure to any chemical, the adverse health effects you may encounter depend on several factors, including: the amount to which you are exposed the dose the way you are exposed the duration of exposure the form of the chemical if you were exposed to any other chemicals Breathing fumes containing naphthalene, drinking solutions or swallowing solid naphthalene can cause nausea, vomiting, pain in the abdomen, diarrhoea, confusion, sweating, fever, fast heart rate, rapid breathing and may lead to convulsions, coma and possibly death.
Naphthalene and cancer The International Agency for Research on Cancer IARC has concluded that there is enough evidence in experimental animals, but not in humans that prolonged exposure to naphthalene can cause cancer.
Vulnerable people People with a hereditary deficiency of glucosephosphate dehydrogenase G6PD are particularly susceptible to naphthalene exposure. Pregnancy and the unborn child Available evidence does not indicate that exposure to naphthalene during pregnancy will have a direct effect on the unborn child.
Children Children are more sensitive to the effects of naphthalene than adults. What to do if you are exposed to naphthalene You should remove yourself from the source of exposure. If you have inhaled or ingested naphthalene, seek medical advice. Additional sources of information NHS. Contents Print this page.
Is this page useful? Maybe Yes this page is useful No this page is not useful. This process is called sublimation. Most products containing naphthalene in the U. General Fact Sheet. A mothball mishap? Podcast min. People with an inherited enzyme deficiency are at much greater risk of anemia than people with normal enzyme levels.
In humans, naphthalene is broken down to alpha-naphthol, which is linked to the development of hemolytic anemia. Kidney and liver damage may also occur. Alpha-naphthol and other metabolites are excreted in urine. In animals, naphthalene breaks down into other compounds including alpha-naphthol, which may affect the lungs and eyes.
Naphthalene was found in the milk of exposed cows, but the residues disappeared quickly after the cows were no longer exposed. Nearly all the naphthalene was broken down into other compounds and excreted in their urine. Animal studies have suggested that naphthalene can cause cancer. The U. EPA classified naphthalene as a possible human carcinogen, also based on animal studies. Rats fed naphthalene while pregnant did not gain weight as quickly. In humans, women who ate naphthalene mothballs or inhaled the vapors while pregnant gave birth to babies with hemolytic anemia.
No information was found on naphthalene and asthma or other chronic diseases. While children may be especially sensitive to pesticides compared to adults, there are currently no data showing that children have increased sensitivity specifically to naphthalene.
However, small children are at greatest danger from eating stray mothballs, because they may look like candy. Most naphthalene in the environment will turn into a gas.
Some of it may be bound to soil, where it can be taken up by plants.
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