Is it safe to add camphor balls to stored food?
Dr Irwin Ziment
Professor of Medicine,
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), USA
Professor of Medicine,
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), USA
Q: My mother adds camphor balls to the containers in which pulses etc are stored as it keeps pests away. But the smell is carried over to the food. Is this dangerous?
A:Camphor used to be available as a medicine. In large doses it could damage the heart, but in very low doses by inhalation or ingestion it is harmless, particularly if the exposure is intermittent.