The truth about DEET and other TOXIC ACTIVES

Why DEET and other TOXIC ACTIVES are used as pesticides and why they are formulated with extremely flammable and hazardous ingredients

• It is expensive to dispose of hazardous waste and it makes sense to find an alternate way of disposal.
• DEET is a compound that is a byproduct from Toluene which is a hazardous industrial solvent and also a known neuro-toxin.
• The problem is that the large producers of insect repellents enable the disposal of hazardous industrial byproducts by spraying the ‘hazardous waste’ compound on people including children.
• If this compound were dumped on the environment, environmental watchdogs would make us aware and help to prevent this action or find another alternative.
• These toxic and synthetic compounds are desired by manufacturers due to their inexpensive costs and because  they do not readily break down. However, because they don’t break down quickly, toxins persist in the environment, soil and water.
• The other ingredients used to formulate the actives into effective products may be even more toxic than the actives. In order to increase effective duration, products are formulated with ethanol and other extremely flammable hazardous ingredients. Would you spray ethanol, isobutane or propanol on your body if you knew what you were doing? Most aerosols also have these highly flammable ingredients that cause damage to our environment.
• EPA rates insect repellents from categories I being the most toxic to category IV being the least toxic.

 

Why aren’t complaints or incidences of adverse health reactions available to the public?

• The large companies are their own watchdogs in the situation of toxic insect repellents and pesticides in general. The EPA role is to register products based on the law which allows poisonous products if labeled properly. Assessment determines that risk at the levels used according to the label do not exceed safe limits. The Consumer Products Safety Division is a government authority that monitors consumer product safety; however the consumer is put in the position to be liable for use of a toxic insect repellent product or other pesticide product according to the label.
• The Consumer Products Safety Division does not compile complaints when the product or manufacturer is following the laws and the consumer uses a product against the law (meaning not following the fine print on the label). There are cases where attorneys cannot sue for incidents when clients are burned by going near a heat source after applying flammable insect repellents.
• The unfortunate situation exists where consumers are not aware of the harmful issues of these products where the label is rather vague and meant to reduce the product and manufacturer’s liability. This unfortunate situation harms children who have seizures or catch on fire because they or their parents are not aware that only a certain amount should be used and that reuse of the product should be limited.
• Overexposure to toxins in insect repellent can cause adverse health effects. Those who promote the safe reputation of DEET and other synthetic toxins do not have data showing harmful effects due to the aforementioned situation, and cannot report the facts.
• From Cpsc.gov: The (EPA Pesticide) label becomes the law that must be followed when using the pesticide. Anyone, even a consumer, who does not follow the product label is violating the law. Only adverse reactions are tracked by manufacturers per EPA requirements when labels are followed leaving the consumer liable for product misuse. If you use a product more than the label indicates and are poisoned by it then this is a consumer violating the law and not required to be tracked by product manufacturers. If you go near a campfire using a flammable insect repellent and catch on fire, then you are violating the law and this incident is not tracked by product manufacturers, The consumer may not sue the manufacturers since the consumer violated the law. As a result, there is no public data.