Which repellent works best?
N,N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide (DEET) remains the standard by which all other repellents are judged. DEET was developed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and was registered for use by the general public in 1957. It is effective against mosquitoes, biting flies, chiggers, fleas, and ticks. Over 25 years of empirical testing of more than 20,000 other compounds has not resulted in another marketed chemical product with the duration of protection and broad-spectrum effectiveness of DEET. Most apparent repellency failures with DEET are due to misapplications, so care should be taken to apply it thoroughly (avoiding the eyes and mucous membranes) and to reapply when necessarily. This is crucial to maintain the DEET vapor barrier above the skin. New polymerized 30% DEET cream formulations provide excellent protection not significantly exceeded by higher DEET concentrations. Physicians recommend that a formulation of no more than 10% DEET be used on children.
Overview of study and outcomes Investigators acquired 16 different mosquito repellents, randomly obscured their names, and assigned each a number. Fifteen volunteers offered to put their arms in an enclosed space in a certain sequence to assess the efficacy of the repellents (note to self: do not volunteer for any trial that mentions arm-in-cage). Compounds included varying concentrations of N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide (DEET), soybean oil, citronella, Skin-so-Soft moisturizing cream with IR35353 (Skin-So-Soft BugGuard Plus), wristbands impregnated with repellent, and one repellent that was a blend of botanical agents. Primary outcome was time to first bite. Results Repellents with DEET crushed the others. The percentage of DEET predicted the length of time protected. The 23.8% DEET lasted 302 min (5 hours), the 20% DEET lasted 235 min (almost 4 hours), and the 6.65% DEET lasted 112 min (almost 2 hours). Repellents that contained more natural ingredients did not fare nearly as well.
N,N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide (DEET) remains the standard by which all other repellents are judged. It is effective against mosquitoes, biting flies, chiggers, fleas, and ticks. Over 25 years of testing of more than 20,000 other compounds has not resulted in another marketed chemical product with the effectiveness of DEET. Most apparent repellency failures with DEET are due to misapplications, so care should be taken to apply it thoroughly (avoiding the eyes and mucous membranes) and to reapply when necessarily. This is crucial to maintain the DEET vapor barrier above the skin. New polymerized 30% DEET cream formulations provide excellent protection not significantly exceeded by higher DEET concentrations. Physicians recommend that a formulation of no more than 10% DEET be used on children.
Consumers Learn Repellent Lingo as Mosquito-Borne Illnesses Flourish The number of West Nile Virus-related fatalities for 2006 continues to climb to a three year high, and with Eastern Equine Encephalitis becoming more prevalent in the United States, consumers want and need to become more familiar with reading mosquito repellent labels. What is the active ingredient that makes one repellent more effective than another and when should a specific repellent be used? There are dozens of insect repellent formulations and hundreds of products today. When in doubt, it is best to look to the experts for advice. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) recommends the use of products containing active ingredients that have been registered with the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) . These products have brand names that consumers recognize such as OFF, Cutter, and ThermaCELL an area repellent that is up to 98% effective and is quickly gaining popularity .
N,N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide (DEET) remains the standard by which all other repellents are judged. DEET was developed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and was registered for use by the general public in 1957. It is effective against mosquitoes, biting flies, chiggers, fleas, and ticks. Over 25 years of empirical testing of more than 20,000 other compounds has not resulted in another marketed chemical product with the duration of protection and broad-spectrum effectiveness of DEET although the recent additions of picaridin and oil of lemon eucalyptus are remarkably close in effectiveness to DEET. The American Academy of Pediatrics says that all family members over the age of two months can use DEET-based repellents with up to 30% concentration with confidence. DEET-based repellents have been around for more than 50 years but that hasn’t kept the folks who make these products from innovating with new fragrances, new formulations, new product types, and, best of all, products that f
