An elderly Rotorua woman living in a resthome has accidentally eaten deadly mothballs she mistook for lollies.
The small balls of chemical pesticide and deodorant commonly used to prevent mould and moth damage to clothing can be fatal if eaten.
St John Ambulance district operations manager Norm Riedinger said the woman, who
is in her 80s, was picked up from Cantabria Home and Hospital after she was found eating mothballs, thinking they were lollies.
She spent two nights in Rotorua Hospital.
Bay of Plenty Medical Officer of Health Neil de Wet said ingesting one or two mothballs could be fatal - especially for children or anyone predisposed to risk.
Mr Riedinger said he did not know how many mothballs the woman had eaten but she was in a stable condition when picked up by ambulance officers and had had no unusual symptoms, but was taken to hospital anyway.
Cantabria's nurse manager, who wanted to be known only as Christine, said a staff member had called an ambulance on Saturday after the woman was found with a mothball in her mouth and one in her hand.
Her family had put a packet of mothballs in a drawer in the woman's room.
Christine said she was unsure how many mothballs the woman had consumed. "We were concerned because we didn't know the effect of them."
She said the woman was discharged from hospital on Monday and was fine.
The woman's daughter, who did not want to be identified, told The Daily Post the family was relieved she had not suffered any ill effects.
Her mother had spent two nights in hospital, mainly for observation.
"It was a shocking experience. We are grateful she is okay."
Dr de Wet said it was important parents kept mothballs out of the reach of children and that the balls should be stored so they could not be confused as a food item.
MOTHBALLS
* Mothballs can contain one of three chemicals - camphor, naphthalene or dichlorobenzene.
* Camphor is the most toxic of the three chemicals but is rarely used in mothballs.
* Ingesting mothballs can cause stomach upsets, seizures, convulsions, drowsiness and can kill off red blood cells, making it difficult for people to breathe.
* Ingesting mothballs can be fatal.
- Provided by the National Poisons Centre in Dunedin
