July 13, 2006 - Day 2 - Week 15 - Insect Repellent – What is that all about?

How can one get sick by spending time in the great outdoors, and I am not talking about air pollution.   I knew from my experience in India in 1963 that I could get malaria from mosquitoes, and I did, but cancer from camping in the great outdoors?

I had never given much thought to mosquito repellent until I ventured to Costa Rica in the 1990’s with an Earth Watch Expedition Team.  I was the designated photographer, and a relative novice about how big mosquitoes can grow.  However, nothing in that tiny country can compare with the mosquitos in Alaska which can grow to the size of a small airplane.  This tiny insect drives us crazy, especially in the dark of night when they become like the invisible stealth bomber and buzz us incessantly. Now we worry about the west Nile virus that is being borne by this troublesome insect, but the cure may be worse than the disease.

Insect repellent, specifically products with high concentrations of DEET are designed to ward off the mosquito, but the unintended consequence may be the threat to our health.  DEET is registered as a pesticide by the EPA. Health problems as varied as dizziness, rashes, spasms and seizures have been directly associated with the use of insect repellent.

DEET actually penetrates the skin when applied directly.  Because of this the consequences have prompted the American Academy of Pediatrics advises using repellents containing DEET on children under the age of 6.  Adults are advised to apply any repellent containing any amount of DEET to the clothing rather than the bare skin.

To this day, and as recently as a few weeks ago, I applied 100% DEET repellent to the hat I wore on the Missouri River canoe trip.  That was before I read what informed this little daily thought. Good bye insect repellent with any DEET at all and hello alternatives.

The next choice was to be Cutter Advanced Sport containing picardin, whatever that is. Turn over the aerosol bottle and you read: STORAGE AND DISPOSAL – Pesticide storage; and then you read further; Hazards to human and domestic animals. What makes me angry is that the front of the product boldly proclaims:  NEW! With Picardin.

It is now the middle of the summer when our time in the great outdoors is cherished and we dodge the mosquitoes, especially at dusk, in many parts of our country. However, it is time to re-think our use of products that have become commonplace in our lives, for their use may have a cumulative negative effect on our health.

Mosquito's have always loved me, even though I do not reciprocate or share that feeling, but my old solutions for dealing with them are a thing of the past.  Goodbye picardin, even though you are new, and definitely goodbye to DEET; and hello to Natrapel with the active ingredient citronella.

Once again we have to be our own best friend when it comes to deciding what is right for us and our children; especially when it comes to discernment – the power of discernment today is that it can protect us and guide us to make better choices.  Who ever thought about insect repellent before?  Having cancer means every label is read with a discerning eye.

Back to Week 15