{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,10]],"date-time":"2026-07-10T22:36:26Z","timestamp":1783722986569,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":9,"publisher":"Wiley","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2011,10,4]],"date-time":"2011-10-04T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1317686400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/termsAndConditions#vor"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Tropical Med Int Health"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2012,1]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title><jats:p><jats:bold>Objective\u2002<\/jats:bold> Internal use of \u2018camphor\u2019 is a potential public health concern in Accra. We sought to identify the toxins being sold as mothballs in Greater Accra and use this information to help educate both clinicians and the public.<\/jats:p><jats:p><jats:bold>Methods\u2002<\/jats:bold> Mothballs are commonly sold by street and marketplace vendors in unmarked cling film\u2010wrapped packs. Fifteen small packs of mothballs were purchased from random vendors in three major markets and six roadside stands in Greater Accra. All samples were subjected to the float test; one sample was confirmed by gas chromatography\/mass spectroscopy.<\/jats:p><jats:p><jats:bold>Results\u2002<\/jats:bold> All samples sank in tap water but floated in a saturated salt solution, consistent with naphthalene. The analysed sample was identified as naphthalene.<\/jats:p><jats:p><jats:bold>Conclusion\u2002<\/jats:bold> Naphthalene was most likely the primary ingredient in all the mothballs purchased for the study. Naphthalene is poorly soluble in water, and \u2018camphor water\u2019 is unlikely to cause harm. However, ideas about the efficacy of \u2018camphor\u2019 as a purification tool may lead to therapeutic misuse by analogy. A high prevalence of G6PD in the Ghanaian population may increase the risk of toxic haematologic effects from ingestion of mothballs. Mothballs known in Greater Accra as \u2018camphor\u2019 are likely to be predominantly naphthalene. A public awareness campaign about the health risks of mothball ingestion is planned.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1365-3156.2011.02885.x","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2011,10,4]],"date-time":"2011-10-04T08:26:12Z","timestamp":1317716772000},"page":"135-138","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":10,"title":["Health risks of using mothballs in Greater Accra, Ghana"],"prefix":"10.1111","volume":"17","author":[{"given":"S.","family":"Soghoian","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"C.","family":"Nyadedzor","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"B.","family":"Ed Nignpense","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"E. E. K.","family":"Clarke","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"R. S.","family":"Hoffman","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"311","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2011,10,4]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_2_6_2_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/1051228405280171"},{"key":"e_1_2_6_3_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/ejhg.2009.8"},{"key":"e_1_2_6_4_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/02724936.1985.11748397"},{"key":"e_1_2_6_5_1","first-page":"425","article-title":"A simple test for mothball component differentiation using water and a saturated solution of table salt: its utilization for poison information service","volume":"33","author":"Koyama K","year":"1991","journal-title":"Veterinary and Human Toxicology"},{"key":"e_1_2_6_6_1","first-page":"1398","volume-title":"Goldfrank\u2019s Toxicologic Emergencies","author":"Kuffner EK","year":"2006"},{"key":"e_1_2_6_7_1","first-page":"1003","article-title":"Mothballs: bringing safety issues out of the closet","volume":"47","author":"Lim HC","year":"2006","journal-title":"Singapore Medical Journal"},{"key":"e_1_2_6_8_1","first-page":"71","article-title":"Quantitative analysis of 1\u2010naphthol in urine of neonates exposed to mothballs: the value in infants with unexplained anemia","volume":"22","author":"Owa JA","year":"1993","journal-title":"African Journal of Medicine and Medical Sciences"},{"key":"e_1_2_6_9_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1097\/PEC.0b013e31819e3690"},{"key":"e_1_2_6_10_1","first-page":"705","article-title":"Health\u2010seeking behavior after unintentional poisoning in Greater Accra (abstract)","volume":"47","author":"Soghoian S","year":"2009","journal-title":"Clinical Toxicology"}],"container-title":["Tropical Medicine &amp; International Health"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/api.wiley.com\/onlinelibrary\/tdm\/v1\/articles\/10.1111%2Fj.1365-3156.2011.02885.x","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1111\/j.1365-3156.2011.02885.x","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2023,10,14]],"date-time":"2023-10-14T14:14:44Z","timestamp":1697292884000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/10.1111\/j.1365-3156.2011.02885.x"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2011,10,4]]},"references-count":9,"journal-issue":{"issue":"1","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2012,1]]}},"alternative-id":["10.1111\/j.1365-3156.2011.02885.x"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1111\/j.1365-3156.2011.02885.x","archive":["Portico"],"relation":{},"ISSN":["1360-2276","1365-3156"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1360-2276","type":"print"},{"value":"1365-3156","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2011,10,4]]}}}