Have a friend who is lactose intolerant, and as a result apparently emits a higher level of CO2 than most folks while exhaling.
Mosquitos just love him in the summer. If you go out with him, they all go to him. Really amazing.
Anyway, want him to try some of the stronger DEET products than he has been using presently.
A bit worried about the 100% deet, as I read in several places over the years that at this strength it is a carcinogen and should be avoided. True ?
Dropping down in strengths, I see iall the products seem to go from the 100% to 30% for several 3M offerings. Doesn't seem to be anything between 100% and 30%, surprisingly.
Is the 30 % "fairly" effective ?
How dangerous is this stuff per any recent research ?
Yes, there are some health concerns with DEET. Yes, higher concentrations work better than lower concentrations, something which is logical and obvious. The 100% stuff exists for a reason, but should be sprayed only on clothing, and used that way, it works quite well. You don't need to use a lot.
Another alternative is the extract from lemon balm (gerianol ) same scent as a bee's homing scent. But I second the notion of using deet on the clothing not the skin. I am still using Viet Nam war surplus deet amazing how far a little bit goes..
Any amount of DEET is too much. It is a dangerous, period. There are many things you can use other than DEET to repel mosquitoes. There is a product called "ShooBug" put out by Bioganic Safety Brand. It is not organic, but it has no deet and I use it on my clothes with no fear of it. You can also use eucalyptus oil or wintergreen oil on clothes and near the face on collars, etc. to repel mosquitoes.
I wish there was a better thing, but try these products do work when used as directed on the label. Never need to use DEET. I know some people who spray it on their tents when camping, and I suppose there is limited safety in that, but not as a product to be used regularly.
Pay no attention to Victoria's rants. She is still trying to get the flouride out of her city's water supply. Whatever it is you're in favor of, she's against it.
After having to call 911 for myself after merely spraying DEET up into the air and walking under the mist- I respectfully disagree. Three showers and lots of scrubbing did nothing- I simply could not breathe and it wasn't getting any better. Scared the living crap out of me. DEET is dangerous.
Check the last two issues of Consumer Reports. They checked two less toxic formulations that they found as effective as DEET. Most recently, it was a product called REPEL that contains lemon eucalyptus.
Mike On the North Carolina coast - Zone 8a (Remove spam traps from email address to reply.)
In article , §kill- spam§mprager@§alum.§mit.§edu says... :) Robert11 wrote: :) :) > Hello: :) > :) > Have a question re DEET. :) > [...] :) > :) > Any other repellents "worth" trying ? :) :) Check the last two issues of Consumer Reports. They checked :) two less toxic formulations that they found as effective as :) DEET. Most recently, it was a product called REPEL that :) contains lemon eucalyptus. :) :) :) Mike :) On the North Carolina coast - Zone 8a :) (Remove spam traps from email address to reply.) :) Lemon Eucalyptus is supposed to be only as effective as lower concentrations of DEET. Picaridin may be the other chemical they were talking about and it is supposed to be as effective as equal concentration of DEET, but it only comes in formulations of 7%.
There are three things besides DEET that are effective against mosquitos, not many. Those tested on real people with real mosquitos are:
1) Repel Lemon Eucalyptus spray. Repel prevented bites by an aggressive species for 4 to 7 hours, and more than 12 hours by a tamer type.
2) Cutter Advanced with Picaridin. This Cutter product prevented bites for about 2 to 3 hours with the aggressive species of mosquitos, 8 hours for the other.
3a) 10% DEET products. 10% DEET prevented bites for about 2 to 3 hours with the aggressive species of mosquitos, 8 hours for the other.
3b) 33% DEET (3M Ultrathon). Ultrathon prevented bites for about 13 hours against aggressive species of mosquitos and protected against ticks for 10 hours. It is what is used by the military and state department.
4) Permethrin is effective if not applied to the skin. It is neutralized by oils in the skin and is of no use. If applied according to directions to clothing, it will protect against ticks and mosquitos. It actually will both repel and kill mosquitos and ticks.
There are no data > After having to call 911 for myself after merely spraying DEET up into the
Sheese, did you ever hear of reading the directions. Being safe doesn't mean that extreme abuse can't cause problems. You don't breath it, you apply it to your skin. "It is a violation of Federal law to use this product in a manner inconsistent with its labeling. Read and follow all directions and precautions on this product label. Hold container 4 to 6 inches away from skin or clothing and spray. DO NOT use as a space spray. DO NOT spray in enclosed areas. If used on the face, spray on hands first and then apply sparingly and avoid eyes. DO NOT spray directly onto face. Excessive inhalation can cause nasal and respiratory irritation. In extremely rare cases, can cause nausea and nervous disorders, such as fatigue, dizziness, headaches, lack of coordination, tremors and unconsciousness." Would you like an application for a Darwin Award?
would not believe the carcinogen claim that others mention. Also, even if there is concern about minor claims, test animals are usually dosed to the point where they are swimming in it and EPA and OSHA extrapolate data points to zero where in real life curves do not go to zero, i.e. small quantites have no effect.
I've hunted early deer seasons in marshy areas where bugs are unbelievable.
For me, clothes keep mosquitos away and I only spray around ankles to prevent chigger bites and face and hands for ticks and mosquitos.
No kidding. I did not breathe it. Repeat - I did not breathe it. In fact I clearly recall being extra careful about inhaling any.
All I did was very sparsely mist my clothing as I am very cautious about using such products.
The tone of your (very offensive) post implied that I walked underneath a waterfall of the stuff with my mouth wide open. As it was I was wearing long sleeves, long trousers, *and* a hat, . Off for an early AM dog run just hoping to deter the critters a tad. I hate to think what would of become of me home alone had I applied it to my skin as directed.
Is this truly the first case of extreme DEET sensitivity you have heard of? I assure you it does exist.
:) After having to call 911 for myself after merely spraying DEET up into the :) air and walking under the mist- I respectfully disagree. :) Three showers and lots of scrubbing did nothing- I simply could not breathe :) and it wasn't getting any better. Scared the living crap out of me. :) DEET is dangerous. Or, DEET may be dangerous to you
The American Association of Poison Control Centers list in 2003 over
9100 cases of toxic exposure with DEET..as well as over 25k cases of toothpaste with fluoride... 12k cases of toxic exposure with deodorants...and 77k cases of toxic exposure with plants. Toxins are all around you and some will be more sensative to various stuff than others.
To be fair, you did say you sprayed it up in the air and walked under the mist then just couldn't breathe; which implies that you inhaled the mist while walking through it.
If that is not what happened, the fault lies in your first account of what you did, not in other people for assuming your description was accurate.
They make DEET formulations, as well as the one with just botanical ingredients. The site shows a happy fisherman, not getting bitten by bugs. It must be true, or they couldn't suggest such a thing. :-)
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