DEET for short. This stuff works really well when your out camping, fishing, horseback riding, or anything outdoors in the warmer months. It's most effective on ticks and mosquitos- carriers of some big time diseases. It was developed by the military and used extensively in Vietnam and Southeast Asia. The science behind it is that insects really don't like the way it smells (humans don't either). So DEET is indeed a repellant, not an insecticide.
Ok, being a chemical, there are bound to be health risks. It is quite interesting while researching the substance, the company who owns the name DEET seems to go out of its way to tell us how safe it is-even photos of children on their site. I'm surprised they're not drinking the stuff! The manufacturer recommends not using it under clothing or on broken skin- it's a know skin irritant. In a study performed by Cornell University, the results showed that employees at Everglades National Park who had extensive exposure to DEET were more likely to have insomnia, mood disturbances, and impaired cognitive function ( maybe thats why the kids in the photos look so darn happy). As with similar products, this substance is bad news for coldwater fish.
There are some really effective, safe alternatives available in lieu of this junk. Interestingly enough, Wikipedia even suggests some natural alternatives to DEET. Here is one more small change we can all implement that cumulatively will have a huge positive impact on the ecosystem. GREEN FOR ALL.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment