Repellents And Pesticides - Safe For People And Pets?

Deet. Pyrethrin. Piperonyl Butoxide. Resmethrin...

The list goes on and on. It can be confusing. Especially when you want an easy answer to the most important questions like "Is this stuff safe for my kids? Is it safe for my pets? Should it be used when pregnant or nursing?"

The problem is you will almost always get the same unclear answers... "It depends" or sometimes "It's probably safe."

It is GnatBGon LLC's (The makers of Gnat Armor) belief that use of toxic or potentially toxic chemicals should be avoided unless absolutley necessary. We feel that every person owes it to him or herself to use as many safe alternatives to these chemicals as possible. That is why we made Gnat Armor. It's use of a non-toxic repellent makes it one of the safest repellent sprays on the market today.

Sadly we have found that some of our competitors are willing to make claims that make certain toxic chemicals sound "safer" than they may actually be. As such we would like to address the concerns related to using these pesticides.

 

Pyrethroids (Includes pyrethrins, cypermethrin, permethrin, resmethrin)

According to the National Pesticide Information Center: "People handling or working with pyrethrins and pyrethroids (including cypermethrin) sometimes developed tingling, burning, dizziness,and itching"

(From Wikipedia:) "...pyrethrins are easily hydrolyzed and degraded by stomach acids in mammals, so toxicity following ingestion by pets is very low. However, pyrethrins are dangerous for fish. Toxicity is usually associated with applying much more of the product than directed. Care should be taken to observe direction labels when using this substance around humans and animals. Overdose and toxicity can result in a variety of symptoms, especially in pets, including drooling, lethargy, muscle tremors, vomiting, seizures and death.[8] Toxicity symptoms in humans include asthmatic breathing, sneezing, nasal stuffiness, headache, nausea, incoordination, tremors, convulsions, facial flushing and swelling, and burning and itching sensation.[9] Permethrin and other pyrethroids are synthetic versions of pyrethrin which have much greater potential for causing toxicity.

 

Piperonyl Butoxide (From Wikipedia:)

The latest information regarding toxicity of piperonyl butoxide has determined that it can pose a distinct health risk when it becomes airborne and pregnant women are exposed during the third trimester. This leads to delayed mental development in young children. A 2011 study found a significant association between piperonyl butoxide (PBO), a common additive in pyrethroid formulations, measured in personal air collected during the third trimester of pregnancy, and delayed mental development at 36 months. Children who were more highly exposed in personal air samples (=4.34 ng/m3) scored 3.9 points lower on the Mental Developmental Index than those with lower exposures. The lead researcher stated, "This drop in IQ points is similar to that observed in lead exposure. While perhaps not impacting an individual's overall function, it is educationally meaningful and could shift the distribution of children in the society who would be in need of early intervention services."[10]

 

DEET

One of the more interesting recent developments concerning DEET exposure comes from "Health Canada" they are the Federal department responsible for helping Canadians maintain and improve their health.

They have now banned products with DEET concentrations over 30%, citing health risks and evidence that increasing the percentage does not do much more to repel insects. Health Canada has also banned two in one products which combine sunscreen and DEET, saying they create the potential for people be exposed to too much DEET. The ban does not take effect until December 2004, so consumers may want to be careful not to pick up combination products still on store shelves. Products containing DEET are now required to carry labels which specify: -Do not apply over cuts, wounds, or irritated skin. -Do not apply to hands or near eyes and mouth of young children. -Do not allow young children to apply this product. -After returning indoors, wash treated skin with soap and water. -Do not use under clothing. -Do not spray in enclosed areas. Experts recommend that if using DEET, its best to wear long sleeves and long pants, when possible, and apply repellent to clothing rather than skin to reduce exposure. They state DEET based products should only be applied sparingly; saturation does not increase efficiency. DEET repellents should not be inhaled. (ed note: This is a little tricky when so many DEET based repellents come in aerosol cans.) Repellent-treated clothes should be washed, or kept outside living areas to reduce exposure. Following all these precautions reduces risk, but does not eliminate it.