Editor,
Summer is almost here, and all the wet weather we have had so far is going to produce lots of bugs, especially mosquitoes.
If you are going to be outside, you will want to wear an appropriate insect repellent. Please do not use any product containing DEET. Classified as a pesticide by the EPA, DEET, or diethyl-meta-toluamide, can be found in most over-the-counter insect repellents.
Why not use DEET? There is long-standing scientific evidence that DEET in low concentrations is actually an excellent mosquito attractant. The University of Florida was issued three patents in 1989 that use DEET in low concentrations as an attractant in insect traps.
A study published at the Letterman Army Institute of Research determined the concentrations at which the switch from repellent to attractant occurs. The public, EPA and governmental organizations have been misled by DEET manufacturers, as they have not made this information public. It is quite possibleˇthey are in violation of federal labeling requirements.
If you use a DEET product, you must thoroughly wash all residue off of your clothing, children, pets and self or continually reapply it before the concentration becomes low enough to attract mosquitoes. We live in an area where encephalitis, West Nile virus, heartworm and other pathogenic organisms occur. There is no point in wearing a product that could attract mosquitoes.
There are other reasons to avoid DEET products. Pharmacologist Mohamed Abou-Donia of the Duke University Medical Center has spent 30 years researching the effects of pesticides. He found that prolonged exposure to DEET can impair some brain functions.
Abou-Donia said the damage could result in problems with muscle coordination, muscle weakness, walking, memory and cognition. He recommends using as little DEET products as possible and to no use more than a 30 percent concentration. He also argues against using them if you are taking medication.
In 1995, the state of New York banned products with 30 percent or more DEET after reviewing 44 public health studies. Unfortunately, the American military supplies soldiers with 33 percent or less DEET products, and it could have links to soldier's health problems.
DEET has been proven to enter the bloodstream through application to the skin, and while many people use DEET-based products without incident, others have suffered side-effects ranging from rashes and hives to uncontrollable twitching and muscle spasms.
What are alternatives to DEET insect repellents? I use a natural, catnip-based mosquito repellent available at www.insectrepel.com. Another safe product, Buzz Away, uses citronella and other natural plant oil extracts.
Neither the catnip nor citronella repellents will attract mosquitoes, nor will have they have a negative impact on your health. We use far too many pesticides as it is, and there is no good reason to apply them to our bodies when it isn't necessary.
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Richard "Bugman" Fagerlund
UNM staff
