Although
they are immensely potent at keeping moths away from feeding on our clothes, mothballs are becoming less popular
as more people learn of the harm it can cause us. Naphthalene residues are now proven
to be transferable from pellet to clothes in direct contact. It
can also travel through a few
layers of clothing. If it can move from
layer to layer, our skin would be no exception when wearing these
clothes.
Another
finding was that naphthalene vapours linger at lower areas of the cupboard due
to a higher density. This means that clothes placed at the bottom of cupboards would soak up the most naphthalene. Lastly, we discovered that even after airing the clothes for some
time before wearing, the clothes still had
one-third of the original naphthalene concentration
in them.
These
analyses, achieved through Gas Chromatography coupled with a Mass Selective
Detector, too strongly suggest that naphthalene residues are not easily removed
from clothes. And unless the clothes are washed before wearing, naphthalene
would undoubtedly get onto the skin and silently cause harm.
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