Eurocrats are now banning moth balls

They have just reversed their ban on knobbly carrots, but now the Eurocrats have a surprising new target – moth balls.

For generations, moth balls have conjured up images of an ageing grandparent’s wardrobe, crammed with rarely-used coats and suits. Now, however, the traditional pungent smell will become a thing of the past because of new EU restrictions on a chemical – naphthalene – of which many of the small, white balls are made. Moth balls have long been used to protect garments from moths and moth larvae.

The new regulations are part of the EU’s REACH (Registration, Evaluation and Authorization of CHemicals) directive, which regulates chemical use in member countries. The aims of the guidelines is to ensure greater protection of health and the environment.



The Government’s Health Protection Agency supports the restrictions on naphthalene, which is flammable and toxic. A spokesman said: “Its [naphthalene] use in the European Union has now been banned for most applications.” The small number of moth balls that are not made from naphthalene are not affected by the restrictions.

The European Commission last week scrapped bureaucratic “marketing standards” that set precise measurements for the appearance, weight and size of 26 types of fruit and vegetables – including carrots and the Brussels sprout.

However, the notorious “straight bananas” regulation which dictates that the fruit must be “free from malformation or abnormal curvature” will remain in place because “no objections from banana growers, buyers, traders or consumers have been received regarding this requirement”.