The mothball situation

[wingman]

I know this has come up before, but i am posting this because i feel it could be important to fly tiers who are useing wings/capes etc that seem to contain a white crystal-like compound that is obviously the same stuff used in mothballs. The science - mothballs contain a pesticide that is a known carcinogen and ingestion of this substance can have fatal consequences, The reality - earlier today I was sitting trying to tie a fly and used some feathers from a wing that came out of a veniard packet that contained these strong smelling mothball crystals, some of this stuff went onto my desk and I also obviously had it on my hands and inadvertedly later ate a biscuit with a cup of tea and naughty boy forgot to wash his hands. My tying desk is also in my bedroom where I will be breathing the fumes from these compounds in my sleep, so what harm could these chemicals be causing? There are no warnings on the packets about washing your hands after handling the wings etc, so I was just wondering what level of risk might be involved, what a wuss I here you say but if you have kids running around picking stuff up and licking things it becomes a different matter. Just a thought.........

mark

[darwin]

Hi Mark,
Personally I hate the smell of it and leave items that smell of naphthalene out in the garage until they don't. I use cedar shaving and tight clear plastic boxes for storage. Here is what wiki says about sniffing or ingesting the stuff.

Mothballs consist of 100% Naphthalene or a form of Benzene. Inhalation of vapors causes headaches, respiratory distress, eye irritation and many other symptoms. Ingestion causes toxic poisoning leading to liver damage,respiratory failure, seizures, heart arrhythmia, and the possibility of death.

Read more: Answers.com - Is sniffing or eating moth balls dangerous

[boony]

I have this problem as i use it to treat all my feathers and hair/fur. I knew of it being a carcinogen and as wingman said there should be a health warning on the packets. I am now going to move back into the shed to remove the smell from my room. But I dont think it will do much harm, in the long run (I hope).

John.

[ickypimp]

Your are incorrect in your assertion that Naphthalene is a known carcinogen..

it currently carries a group 2B classification from the IARC.. 2B denotes POSSIBLY carcinogenic to humans..

[wingman]

Some more here ---->MothBalls - Are they safe?

[arkle]

Perhaps NOW people will realize what I'm always saying about these chemicals & STOP USING THEM.

Any powder/crystals will inevitably fall away from the material, so they are likely to go where they are NOT wanted & possibly get ingested by humans of all ages & pets.

There are many 100's of SAFE organic SPRAY repellents available, USE THEM.

[wingman]

Well arkle we better tell the manufacturers that aswell as like I said the wings I got from veniards had loads of the stuff in the packet and it was in the wings everywhere, then all over the place when I took them out, no warnings etc on the packaguing yet this is surely a legal requirement if this stuff contains a pesticide. I just think there should be more awareness on packageing on how to handle products that have been in contact with this stuff as some people may not be fully aware about what they are handling.

[Wee Jimmy]

Originally Posted by arkle

There are many 100's of SAFE organic SPRAY repellents available, USE THEM.

Which one do you use Arkle? I currently use crushed mothballs and dont mind the smell too much but would rather use a safer alternative as long as it is equally as effective as napthaline.

[oddgitt]

Hmmn. This is worrying. I regularly eat and drink at my tying desk, which serves as my normal desk.

I only have one or two capes that stink of napthalene and obviously have the crystals but will be removing them and storing them in airtight containers from now on. As well as religiously washing my hands!

Might not be a proven carcinogen but I still don't want to poison myself or run any risk of making myself or partner ill.

And it stinks.

[sage5]

Originally Posted by Wee Jimmy

Which one do you use Arkle? I currently use crushed mothballs and dont mind the smell too much but would rather use a safer alternative as long as it is equally as effective as napthaline.

Thanks for ask ing that question Jimmy,how often would you need to spray your capes ?many thanks Duncan