Certain risk factors may increase the risk of serious toxicity after exposure to mothballs.
Routes of exposure are:
(1) inhalation (chronic exposure to mothballs in a poorly ventilated room)
(2) ingestion (eating mothballs)
(3) transdermal (from treated clothing or blankets that have not been dry cleaned)
Risk factors for serious toxicity:
(1) neonate (impaired hepatic metabolism and excretion)
(2) ingestion after a fatty meal
(3) dermal exposure on skin treated with baby or other oils
(4) high dose (large body surface area, high atmospheric concentration, large number of mothballs ingested)
(5) glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency
(6) naphthalene is more toxic than para-dichlorobenzene (PDB)
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Specialty: Toxicology, Emergency Medicine, Critical Care
ICD-10: ,