777
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Country: United States
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Post by 777 on Mar 4, 2019 19:24:30 GMT -8
I have been considering using moth balls for my collection, but I am concerned about the health effects that they cause. Are there any safer alternatives to them?
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Post by wollastoni on Mar 5, 2019 2:51:06 GMT -8
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leptraps
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Post by leptraps on Mar 5, 2019 4:55:05 GMT -8
The absolute best defense against dermestid is to keep your collection Bone Dry. I run a dehumidifier 24/7/365. Tight sealing cabinets and drawers with a small amount PCB in each cabinet work best.
I just acquired a new used cabinet. It is currently in my garage with two slabs of Vapona inside and the door closed tight. I sprayed the cabinet inside and out with MDL, a disinfectant, I will clean it up a second time before moving it into my collection room next week.
I also use Pine Oil in my windows and in corners of the rooms. Pine Oil is a deterent.( I does not have the "Pine" smell.)
I have been told by others that your most prized specimen is the first one consumed by dermestids!
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Post by joachim on Mar 5, 2019 17:45:38 GMT -8
Hi, I once bought several kilo of them and through it to the mothe. But, frankly to say, it is difficult to hit one. Use a gun Joachim
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 5, 2019 19:58:07 GMT -8
I use cedar oil on the lips of the drawers and 1sq cm pieces of Vapona on yellow headed pins. Why yellow pin heads u wonder....? I used to use SS insect pins, but they were harder to see and I split a few wings by accident. Vapona pieces last a long time depending on how often you open drawers. To me, it’s the least of all evils...pesticide wise to humans. Some will differ, but that’s worked for me for years. And yes.....for several reasons including what Leroy mentioned, the drier the better for the whole insect room/area. I also use heat treatment as opposed to freezing when putting stuff into the drawers. No dermestids for last 20+ years.....knock on wood. In 50+ years, have only had one or two minor incidents........probably carelessness on my part.
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Post by johnnyboy on Mar 5, 2019 23:14:01 GMT -8
Here in the UK I was speaking to a local hardware store owner about banned chemicals (in the European Union) such as PCB and naphthalene (both of which, along with dichlorovos have been officially banned for a number of years in the UK). He still has some naphthalene mothballs stocked ( he's asking a lot of money £4-38 for each bag of 20 balls) but the local authority paid him a visit last week and told him that he has to make sure his stock is gone before their next inspection.
Tradition filament light bulbs have also been banned, he had four 60W bulbs left in stock, I purchased them all as my pet lizard likes to bask under one (I've had him as a pet for 34 years now)
Cedar oil balls are available along with the zeninsect balls mentioned. I use a naphthalene mothball along with a zeninsect ball in each drawer which seems effective as a deterrent/killer. I also have a supply of PCB crystals that I use from time to time. The best quality English cabinets are very well made with tight fitting drawer tops etc, these cabinets need little protection generally, but the older ones I have do have a few tiny gaps that pests can enter through.
Johnny
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Post by Adam Cotton on Mar 6, 2019 0:08:11 GMT -8
PCB and naphthalene are dangerous liver carcinogens. If possible I would avoid all contact with them if I were you. Try using the search function to check on old threads about this subject here. I checked on the Insect Collectors' Forum and found this thread with many pages of replies: collector-secret.proboards.com/thread/372/using-specimen-pest-deterrentsAdam.
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Post by johnnyboy on Mar 6, 2019 5:30:53 GMT -8
I agree that these volatile aromatic compounds are potentially harmful, particularly if ingested. However, I have, personally, been exposed to high concentrations of far more potent carcinogens, for long periods, during the years I was working as a research chemist, at the time health and safety rules were rather lax. I see the use of PCB and naphthalene as a calculated risk and I try to mitigate the risk as much as possible by using these volatiles sparingly in sealed drawers placed in a well ventilated room. The ppm concentration at which these substances can be detected by human smell (of course, constant exposure can lead to a person becoming used to the smell and inured to its presence) is generally several orders of magnitude less that anything that could be considered acutely harmful in general terms, however there is of course always finite risk of chronic exposure and the associated mutagenic or other heath effects that might arise directly or indirectly through any amount of exposure, as there is from many other things such as car exhaust fumes.
Paradichlorobenzene "plates out" on the inner surfaces of cabinets and their drawers and gives a semi-permanent protection over time. I actually like the smell of both PCB and naphthalene as well as the odours of toluene, acetone, ether and ethyl acetate. TCP, which people gargle, being an acidic mixture of chlorinated phenols and phenol in aqueous solution, is potentially also harmful.
Johnny
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Post by jhyatt on Mar 6, 2019 6:25:26 GMT -8
Gosh, two old research chemists on the Forum!
The data regarding human carcinogenicity of both naphthalene and p-dichlorobenzene are pretty thin. Many compounds that are banned in some countries are banned not due to good reproducible data, but by structural analogy to known, proven carcinogens. They're often called "suspected" carcinogens, which means that some regulator made a conservative guess about their biological activity. Everything's a risk...
The real problem for me with napthalene is that it doesn't kill much of anything. I does repel a lot of insects, but it will not destroy an established infestation very well. PDCB and dichlorvos will kill insects fairly rapidly. Freezing a very low temps for a couple of weeks also destroys infestations. Keeping a collection very dry and cool definitely reduces the odds of reinfestation.
Another chemist, jh
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Post by mothman27 on Mar 6, 2019 7:24:13 GMT -8
Interestingly, I have noticed that my left eyelid will slightly twitch infrequently. I don't know exactly when this started but probably about six months ago. I am worried if it might be caused by a chemical I use? I use ethyl acetate as a killing agent often in the collecting season and I am probably exposed to the vapor from it more than any other chemicals. I have not used in since September though since it's winter. I use acetone very occasionally to soak bugs but I avoid breathing in the vapor and touching it to my skin. I use dichlorvos in my cases but again, I avoid breathing in the vapors and touching it to my bare skin. Thoughts?
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Post by nomihoudai on Mar 6, 2019 8:11:54 GMT -8
Eye lid twitches are called myokymia and the most likely causes are stress, fatigue, or caffeine intake. I experience them too at times, they have nothing to do with chemical agents.
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Post by johnnyboy on Mar 6, 2019 8:23:48 GMT -8
I agree that there is no compelling evidence that mothballs are particularly dangerous to human health. Interestingly there was a case of a young French woman who was addicted to eating naphthalene mothballs. She was hospitalised for weeks but wasn't getting any better despite the medics best efforts. Eventually it was discovered that her boyfriend had been secretly bringing her mothballs in hospital and she'd been chewing them continuously all the time. As soon as she was prevented from eating any more she made a rapid recovery. However, some individuals can be far more susceptible to particular compounds than others and we don't know if there was any long term effect in this particular case.
Ethyl acetate, as with all organic volatiles, can have a narcotic effect if breathed in sufficient quantity. So it could potentially cause problems but it might well just be coincidental.
Johnny
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Post by Paul K on Mar 6, 2019 8:47:00 GMT -8
Blame moth balls for cancer they are not really profitable so why not ban them and show that someone cares.
Real problem just leave as it is as it is potentialy multi billion dollar business, drugs for example which we take in massive needed or not.
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leptraps
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Post by leptraps on Mar 6, 2019 12:28:27 GMT -8
Have you ever truly smelled moths balls?
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777
Full Member
Posts: 113
Country: United States
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Post by 777 on Mar 6, 2019 13:49:05 GMT -8
I absolutely hate the smell of mothballs. Also, I thank you all for the information.
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