Mosquito repellents are widely used in the country to combat mosquito irritant and malaria. Millions of people make use of chemical-based mosquito repellents to obtain complete protection from mosquito bites. Studies on mosquito repellant have shown that repellents are harmful to human health. Most common insect repellents and bug sprays may be toxic and are able to produce health problems in people especially for the children. Along with the destruction of ecological balance of the nature, mosquito repellant also has many adverse effects to the life of pets. Plant based natural mosquito repellents are also used nowadays.
Due to the chemical ingredients which are present in chemical-based mosquito repellents, mosquitoes can be effectively killed but it is responsible for serious health related problem. Young children are susceptible to change in their brain chemistry by the exposure to such chemicals because the skin of children tends to absorbs more chemicals. All these health problems in the children can resulted in to the impaired growth of children.
Nowadays, lots of botanical and natural mosquito repellents available in the markets which are effective in fight off mosquitoes but they also have health hazards. Some natural repellents are prepared with essential oils like citronella oil, rosemary oil, lemongrass oil, cedar oil, peppermint oil, clove oil, geranium oil, and possibly oils from verbena, pennyroyal, lavender, pine, cajeput, cinnamon, basil, thyme, allspice, soybean, and garlic. Random use of home remedies is potentially more harmful than using EPA registered repellents without explicit instructions.
Citronella Oil:
It is a common ingredient in plant-based mosquito repellents. Studies have shown that citronella can be an effective repellent. But, it provides shorter complete protection time than most DEET-based products. In the backyard, citronella candles have been promoted as an effective way to repel mosquitoes.
Different conclusions about its potential hazards have been come from evaluations of citronella by government agencies. Skin irritation, one type of allergic reactions noted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). According to the report of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), citronella oil caused eye and skin irritation in rabbits and genetic damage in bacteria. More serious concerns are identified by Canada's Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PRMA). Also, PRMA noted that U.S. Department of Health and Human Service's National Toxicology Program found a chemical called methyl eugenol, which is the component of citronella oil causes liver and stomach tumors, as well as genetic damage. From registration requirements, EPA has exempted most citronella products as "minimum risk pesticides”.
Permethrin:
Permethrin is a man-made synthetic pyrethroid. This chemical is effective against mosquitoes, flies, ticks, and chiggers. It has low toxicity in mammals and it is poorly absorbed by the skin. Also, it is rapidly inactivated by ester hydrolysis. Synthetic pyrethroids are widely used as household pesticides and suspected to be allergens. Synthetic compound pyrethroids can trigger allergic reactions, particularly among the nation's estimated 15 million persons with asthma. Some synthetic pyrethroids include tetramethrin, resmethrin, and allethrin. They are cumulatively found in over 30 million households. So, synthetic pyrethroid products may need to be labeled with bronchospasm warnings for asthmatics.
Geraniol:
It is an alcohol which is found in many plant oils. Citronella oil, lemongrass oil, and oil of rose contains geraniol. A geraniol-based repellent protects against mosquito bites between two and four hours depending on the species of mosquito, according to USDA researchers. Geraniol causes moderate eye and skin irritation according to EPA. It is severely irritating to skin according to NIOSH. Geraniol products are exempted from registration requirements by EPA as "minimum risk pesticides."
P-Menthane-3, 8-diol:
It is found in eucalyptus plants. As a mosquito repellent, p-Menthane-3, 8-diol has been registered with EPA since 2000. It provides protection from bites for about 7 hours. Mosquito repellent containing this chemical causes severe eye irritation in rabbits as well as skin allergies in guinea pigs according to EPA. Following further testing, human skin did not show any allergies. Microscopic kidney lesions, as well as inflammation and redness of skin may be caused due to longer-term skin exposure.
Soybean Oil:
It is a common ingredient in food. Soybean oil provides protection from bites between 5 and 8 hours. Evaluation study of soybean oil as pesticide found few hazards. It is not likely to result in adverse human health effects according to the report of EPA. Studies by Canada’s PMRA have shown that blood cholesterol levels increased in laboratory animals fed a diet high in soybean oil. Incidence of breast tumors increased in laboratory animals infected with a tumor virus and fed a high-soybean-oil diet. When over 15 percent of the diet was soybean oil, these effects occurs. Now, Soybean oil pesticides are exempted from registration requirements as "minimum risk pesticides."
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