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Naphthalene

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Naphthalene (C10H8) is a hydrocarbon composed of fused benzene rings, famous for its white crystalline structure. It is the simplest ring hydrocarbon compound, making it extremely abundant and common in areas of high carbon emission, but is produced naturally in plants like magnolia flowers. It is a carcinogenic and environmental contaminant, posing great danger to humans and environment. It exists as the dominant constituent of coal tar, which is produced when coal is distilled during the mining process. Similarly, it is especially common in the high-temperature drilling of crude oil. To harvest the hydrocarbon for commercialization, manufacturers will crystalize coal tar and cracked petroleum, melting it at 80.1 degrees Celsius. It releases a specific odor, and is extremely volatile at this stage. It is then sold as a pesticide due to an unexplained toxicity to moths, as an explosive due to its high volatility and flammability, or as an ingredient in phthalic anhydride (C8H4O3) which is a common compound found in dyes and perfumes.

The average civilian inhales Naphthalene through cigarette smoke, car exhaust, constant proximity to mines and oil basins, or through mothballs. When a human being is exposed to Naphthalene, they may experience serious symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, convulsions, coma and acute renal shutdown. Naphthalene has been found to cause hemolytic anemia and damage to the liver and neurologic system. Prolonged exposure, often experienced by people who work in areas where Naphthalene is in abundance, has been linked to laryngeal and colorectal cancer.  In other organisms, Naphthalene has received mixed reactions. Plants and bacteria break down Naphthalene to consume, but several species of fish, water fleas, oysters and birds have been killed through exposure.

Naphthalene is not biodegradable. The compound turns into a gas, where it can be bound to soil and absorbed by plants. However, if Naphthalene is produced indoors through smoking or mothball use, it pollutes the breathable air and creates the adverse health effects described above. This makes Naphthalenic products a huge public health concern, one exacerbated by its trace origins; oil basins. 

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