DEET Alternatives on the Minds of Many
July 14th -
Much of the Boulder County community has questions about the use of DEET as protection against the
mosquito that carries West Nile virus, both for themselves and their children. This is a complex issue that touches many members of the community.
DEET is the gold standard in offering protection against biting insects and has a remarkable
safety profile. After 40 years of use and nearly 8 billion human applications, there have been only 50 documented instances of serious effects. However, we understand that many county residents are looking for alternatives that offer similar levels of protection.
Based on the findings of a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine,
Boulder County Public Health recommends the use of the soybean oil product "Bite Blocker" for those who do not wish to use
DEET products.
This study found that "most plant [non-DEET] based insect repellents currently on the market contain essential oils from one or more of the following plants: citronella, cedar, eucalyptus, peppermint, lemongrass, geranium, and soybean.
Of the products we tested, the soybean-oil-based repellent was able to protect from mosquito bites for about 1.5 hours." (It is important to note that, although the packaging of "Bite Blocker" states that it provides protection for 4 hours, this study found it to be effective for only 90 minutes.)
The study continues to say, "all other botanical repellents that we tested in our initial studies, regardless of their active ingredients and formulations, gave very short-lived protection, ranging from a mean of about 3 to 20 minutes."
Regardless of the method of personal protection you use, it is also important to remember the three additional components to the 4Ds:
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Dress in long sleeves and pants.
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Avoid the outdoors between and Dusk and Dawn.
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Drain standing water from around your home.
For more information:
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