Is DEET bad for you?
Question:DEET from mosquitoe spray
Answers:
Deet is usually only harmfull to small children. It is also one of the best best insect repellents around. Many repellents contain Deet. I personally buy repellents that contain 95-100% deet (and use it very sparingly), but it works!. I am an avid camper, and have tried several repellants, but those containing the higher amounts of deet work the best.
I can't think it's any worse that the chance to get West Nile Virus (from Mosquitos) or Rocky Mtn. Spotted Fever or Lyme Disease (from ticks).
I'd go with the DEET.
only if you eat it
My husband used a sunscreen with DEET in it and it brought him out in hives. He spoke to an allergist dr. and he confirmed that's what caused the hives.
I hate bug sprays, and wear them only when the bugs are so bad that I would go crazy otherwise. Some of my camping buddies, however, practically bathe in the stuff in an effort to avoid bugs.
I remember one year in the BWCAW when I wore nothing and they were putting on DEET every day. After several days, I had a few more bites, but they all had these nasty rashes from the frequent and liberal application of DEET.
Any chemical that's so strong as to cause another life form to stay away from you is probably not good to wear too often or too much. So DEET is okay in small doses, but you should avoid overuse.
Some people have allergies to DEET. This is no different than other allergies. If you look at different repellents, the percentage of it is low or high. We use 100% while some use 40%.
The jury's still out on this one, but why wait for a unanimous decision? The EPA (which regulates insecticides) is sufficiently concerned about DEET that they worry about products that combine sunscreen (which is regulated by the FDA) with DEET. The sunscreen needs frequent application, but this may result in "overexposure" to the DEET. In the meantime, the FDA has certified the effectiveness of DEET alternatives, including sprays and lotions that contain extract of the lemon eucalyptus plant. That's a specific variety of eucalyptus. Don't be taken in by potions offering some combination of lemon and eucalyptus. There's a company that markets a lemon eucalyptus repellent under the brand name "Repel," but read the label carefully; they also market some heavy-duty DEET products. There are other brands as well. Some folks are advocates of another plant extract, citronella, but evidence for the effectiveness of citronella as a repellent is not conclusive.
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