Mothballs are divided into natural mothballs and synthetic mothballs. Natural mothballs are smooth, colorless or white crystals with fragrant smell, which will float in water.

Natural mothballs, also known as smelly beads, are used to prevent insects, moths and mildew. They were originally aromatic organic compounds extracted from camphor tree branches and leaves. It is also used in pharmaceuticals, spices and so on. Used as a cardiotonic in medicine.

Synthetic mothballs are organic compounds. Most camphor balls containing naphthalene are white, irritating and unpleasant, and immersed in water.

Contraindications for infants:

You can't put mothballs in a newborn's clothes. The main component of camphor ball is naphthol, which is very volatile. When people wear clothes with mothballs, naphthol can enter the blood through the skin. Glucose -6- phosphate dehydrogenase (G-6-PD) exists in red blood cells of normal adults. This enzyme can quickly combine with volatile naphthol to form non-toxic substances, which are excreted with urine.

Therefore, naphthol has no obvious influence on adults. However, there is almost no glucose -6- phosphate dehydrogenase in neonatal red blood cells. Neonates wear clothes stored in mothballs, and naphthol can easily enter red blood cells in the body, destroying a large number of red blood cells and leading to acute hemolysis.

The main manifestations are rapid anemia, severe jaundice, and strong tea-like urine, which can cause heart failure in severe cases. Severe jaundice can be life-threatening due to nuclear jaundice, or leave varying degrees of mental retardation and dyskinesia.

Refer to the above content: Baidu Encyclopedia-Mothballs