Pesin go figa say na ordinary round balls wey sometimes get good scent, but naphthalene balls or mothballs wey pipo sabi as camphor dey dangerous if you no use dem di right way.
Naphthalene balls originally na insect repellent wey dem also dey give good scent if pesin put for dia toilet or washroom and among dia clothes inside wardrobe.
But some pipo dey react to am badly.
Joshua Agomor stop dey use naphthalene balls for im bathroom sake of im junior brother get allergic reaction one day.
Joshua tok BBC News pidgin say, “my bro dey get itchy eyes and burning sensation for face anytime we use di naphthalene balls inside our bathroom.”
“Di moment im smell di scent, na so im go begin to react, so I neva buy am again,” Joshua tok.
Joshua be just one of many pipo wey get allergic reactions if dey perceive or use naphthalene balls for dia house.
For some pipo, dis na di perfect solution to deal wit insects and pests for dia home – like wall gecko, moths, cockroach and oda tiny crawling and flying insects.
Pipo wey dey manufacture dis balls write on top of package say make dem “keep away from pickins and make dem keep away from food and drink.”
But shockingly, some pipo dey use dis naphthalene balls to purify dia water wey some dey take cook.
Some street food get naphthalene for inside – KNUST researchers don find
In fact, one research by pipo from di Kwame Nkrumah University of science and technology (KNUST) for 2022 don find say some food samples get chemicals from naphthalene balls afta dem test di samples.
Di research by Gloria Mathanda Ankar-Brewoo, Godfred Darko and odas don show di presence of wetin dem dey call “polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon” inside two street food.
Di researchers don interview 188 consumers of di food vendors.
Dem detect naphthalene chemical inside all di rice and hot pepper sauce samples wit concentration ranging from 1.7 to 6.5 mg kg.
Some of di toxic chemicals also don dey inside di fufu and fried chicken samples.
Di researchers explain say di high levels of naphthalene inside di food be sake of di street food vendors use di balls to purify water.
“Di vendors use water wey dem store wit di mothballs or naphthalene balls to boil rice for di fried rice food or di cassava for di fufu dem dey cook.”
“Dem also use di water to prepare soup,” lead scientist for di research Gloria Mathanda Ankar-Brewoo don tok.
Im add say “if di vendors stop to dey use di mothballs inside water wey dem find oda ways to purify and store dia water, di health risk go reduce,” im explain.
Di researchers want make authorities review policies about di use of mothballs/naphthalene balls for places wia dem dey cook food.
Wetin food and drugs authority tok about di use of naphthalene/mothballs
Ghana’s food and drugs authority (FDA) don warn pipo many times say make dem no use dis naphthalene balls close to food or water.
Under di mandate of di FDA, naphthalene balls dey classified as household chemical to deal with insects.
Di authority tok inside one statement say e don come to dia notice say some pipo dey use dis naphthalene balls to treat stomach ache, measles and diarrhoea.
“Dis dey cause serious harm to pipo wey dey use dem aside wetin dem gatz to use dem for – wey be to kill insects,” di FDA tok.
According to di FDA, research don show say if you use di naphthalene/mothballs di wrong way, you fit to suffer health issues.
“Long term exposure to di mothballs/naphthalene balls fit to cause severe anaemia, reproductive wahala, respiratory tumors, headache and nausea.
If pesin don release dis balls inside waterbodies consistently, im fit to cause danger to di animals inside di waterbodies.
Some kontris don ban products wey dey contain naphthalene due to wrong labelling of naphthalene balls as “camphor”.
Some type of camphor dey edible wey dem take dey treat cough, indigestion, obesity and oda tins.
Dis type of camphor dey from one plant wey dey Asia.
Most pipo dey confuse naphthalene balls wit di edible camphor – but dem dey different.
In Ghana, di food and drugs authority don register products wey contain naphthalene for use as insecticides.
Di authority tok say di labels and di registered naphthalene products for Ghana get di right information about how dem for use am and di warnings.
“Dis products for no come into contact wit children or food or water wey im be material wey fit easily catch fire, so make pipo keep am away from fire,” di FDA statement wey dia chief executive officer, Delese Mimi Darko tok.
Di FDA say dem go intensify dia enforcement of di law.
But while dem dey do dat, sabi pipo say dis naphthalene get chemicals wey fit to cause cancer and oda health issues.
Naphthalene balls fit to cause serious health wahala – cancer and kidney wahala
One sabi pesin Dr Michael Baah Biney tok BBC News pidgin say Naphthalene dey contain some chemicals wey dey react for any living cell, weda inside human or animal.
Dis chemical dey toxic to pipo but e get serious effect for pickins dan old pipo.
“Especially for pickins wey dey under five years, naphthalene be toxic but even for adults, particularly pipo wey get di condition dem dey call glucose-6-phosphate-dehydrogenase deficiency (G6PD), im dey dangerous,” Dr Baah Biney tok.
Im add say some quantity of naphthalene gatz to dey inside di body bifor im go cause severe wahala.
“If pickin take naphthalene wey dey like di size of four paracetamol tablets inside dia system, dat child go get high toxicity togeda wit pipo wey get di G6PD.”
For rooms wia dem put naphthalene for floor, pickins fit carry and eat am if nobody dey watch dem.
Dr Baah Biney say if dat happun, na serious wahala be dat.
“If di pickin eat one of di naphthalene or mothballs, wey dey like 2grams, im go get big effect dat be wen im go begin to affect di child im organs.”
For dos wey dey use am to purify water for cooking, sometimes dem dey put more dan one ball, dat also be deadly.
Some effects of naphthalene chemicals for body
Dr Michael Baah Biney tok BBC News pidgin say Naphthalene dey “affect di red blood cells of children – di free radicals e dey create inside di body dey affect di red blood cells.”
Im add say “di chemicals inside one naphthalene ball wey be equal to di weight of four paracetamol tablets dey cause wetin we call haemolysis.”
“Red blood cells dey carry oxygen wey we breathe into our system to di lungs so say im fit distribute all di way to di toes – so di naphthalene ball go affect dis blood cells so di blood cells go dey affected.”
If dis happun, pesin go get wetin sabi pipo dey call hypoxia – wey be di absence of oxygen inside di pesin body to keep am functioning.
“If dis happun, di pickin go suffer respiratory wahala, im no go fit breathe well sake of di toxic effect of di naphthalene.”
Dr Biney also explain say sometimes if di effect dey happun for di pickin, “im urine fit to turn black – dat na emergency sake of e mean say di pickin im kidneys don dey affected.”
“When red blood cells breakdown inside di body e dey affect di kidneys.”
For pipo wey already dey suffer glucose-6-phosphate-dehydrogenase deficiency (G6PD), if naphthalene don enta dia system, double wahala be dat.
“So for pipo wey dey put plenti of di naphthalene balls like 8 inside water to purify am, if pesin take some of dat water im be bad. Di small small effect wey go build up dey bad for anybody.”
Di FDA quick guidelines about naphthalene balls
– if you go use for di insect repellent purpose, use for ventilated area
– Keep di balls away from children and pets
– Make you no inhale vapour and make you no take enta mouth
– Follow di manufacturer im instruction on how to use di balls on di label
– Wear gloves and protective clothes wen you dey handle di naphthalene/mothballs
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