DEET as an Active Ingredient
“DEET
has a remarkable safety profile after 40 years of use and nearly 8
billion human applications.
No correlation has been found between the
concentration of DEET used and the risk of toxic effects.
When applied
with common sense, DEET-based repellents can be expected to provide a
safe, as well as a long-lasting repellent effect.”
-
New England Journal of
Medicine, July 4, 2002, authored by Mark
S. Fradin, M.D. and John F. Day, Ph.D.
- Complete
Article (PDF 86 KB)
Recommended
Products
The
most effective repellents contain DEET (N, N-diethyl-m-toluamide). The
more DEET a repellent contains, the longer time it can protect you from
mosquito bites.
A higher percentage of DEET in a repellent does not mean
that your protection is better—just that it will last longer.
DEET
concentrations higher than 50% do not increase the length of protection.
Based
on a recent study
- A product containing 23.8% DEET provided an average of 5 hours of
protection from mosquito bites.
- A product containing 20% DEET provided almost 4 hours of
protection.
- A product with 6.65% DEET provided almost 2 hours of protection.
- Products with 4.75% DEET or 2% soybean oil provide roughly 1-1/2
to 2
hours
of protection.*
More on Alternatives
Choose
a repellent that provides protection for the amount of time you
will be outdoors. A higher percentage of DEET should be used if you will
be outdoors for several hours, while a lower percentage of DEET can be
used if time outdoors will be limited. You should also re-apply a product
if you are outdoors for a longer time than expected, before you start to
be
bitten by mosquitoes.
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