**The Safety and Effectiveness of DEET: A Comprehensive Overview**
**Introduction**
In an era where awareness about chemical safety is growing, concerns about older compounds like DEET have emerged. This article delves into the details surrounding DEET, addressing its history, safety, and effectiveness as a mosquito repellent.
**What is DEET?**
DEET, chemically known as diethyl m-toluamide, was invented by the US Department of Agriculture in 1946. It gained prominence during World War II when soldiers needed protection against insects in heavily infested areas. Unlike many chemicals from the mid-20th century, DEET has stood the test of time, becoming a staple for backyard barbecues and outdoor activities.
**Safety Concerns and Misconceptions**
DEET is often mistakenly conflated with DDT, a pesticide banned due to its cancer-causing properties. However, DEET is an insect repellent, not a pesticide. While it poses minimal risks to birds, fish, and aquatic invertebrates, it is deemed safe for humans and mammals by regulatory bodies like the EPA and WHO.
**How DEET Works**
DEET repels mosquitoes, black flies, ticks, fleas, and other pests. Mosquitoes locate humans through scent cues—carbon dioxide, lactic acid, and 1-Octan-3ol. DEET disrupts these sensors, making humans effectively invisible or simply unattractive to mosquitoes.
**Historical Context**
Despite its long use, DEET faced scrutiny in the 1980s due to concerns about encephalitis. These fears, though largely unfounded, sparked debates about its safety. However, extensive research over the past two decades has reaffirmed DEET's effectiveness when used as directed.
**Current Recommendations**
Regulatory bodies emphasize following application guidelines: avoid ingestion and contact with eyes. The WHO reports 200 million applications annually worldwide, with minimal adverse effects, underscoring DEET's safety profile.
**Alternatives to DEET**
For those wary of DEET, alternatives exist, such as oil of lemon eucalyptus, recommended by the CDC. This natural option is increasingly available in retail outlets, offering a viable choice for concerned users.
**Conclusion**
DEET remains a reliable and efficient mosquito repellent, supported by decades of use and research. While historical concerns have been addressed, its role in preventing diseases like malaria underscores its importance. As you plan outdoor activities, consider DEET or alternatives like oil of lemon eucalyptus for protection.
We invite you to share your thoughts on mosquito repellents in the comments below and subscribe for more updates. Additionally, explore topics like how cooking shaped human evolution through Audible's offerings, accessible via a 30-day free trial at audiblepodcast.com/dnews.
Thank you for tuning in!
"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enthis episode of D news is brought to you by audible it seems like we're only just now figuring out that these old timey chemicals might not be safe but will mosquito repellent repel my health too howdy entomologists in friends Trace here for D news NN diethyl m toide is a powerful and common insect repellent invented by the US Department of Agriculture in 1946 you probably know it as DEET during World War G the Army needed to protect soldiers fighting in insect heavy areas and this colorless liquid doesn't easily wash off and can be appli directly to the skin even though it's been sold to the public since 1957 like many things from the 20th century people are still wary but according to research published in parasites and vectors DEET is a okay first things first DEET is not DDT DDT is a pesticide that has been banned worldwide for use in agriculture DEET is an insect repellent DDT causes cancer DEET is a tiny bit toxic to birds fish and Aquatic invertebrates but completely safe for humans and mammals DEET repels mosquitoes black flies tick fleas chers and no seum I don't even know what that is here in the west that means fewer itchy bites but in places where malaria West Nile virus or lime disease run rampant good insect repellent can mean the difference between life and death scientists know this Chemical Works but they're not exactly sure how we know mosquitoes locate humans using their sense of smell they sense our carbon dioxide lactic acid and a chemical we release called one Octan 3ol depending on the study scientists believe DEET targets the sensors in the mosquito making us effectively invisible to them or depending they sometimes just simply think it smells bad either way it works thanks to its success DEET became a staple for American backyard barbecues but then in the 1980s DEET was blamed for several cases of encylopedic the de scare turned into kind of a bit of a thing in the last two decades since this scare there have been several studies finding that DEET is just fine as long as you follow the instructions posted on the can the EPA agrees as long as we follow the label so don't ingest it don't get it in your eyeballs and you'll be just fine the World Health Organization says DEET is applied to skin 200 million times a year worldwide and since only a few people have died in the 50 years since it went on sale it's pretty difficult to blame the old stuff but if a 30-year-old chemical scare still has you wondering the Centers for Disease Control have an alternative oil of Lemon Eucalyptus I know sounds exotic but we checked and they even have it at like Wall-E worlds so you're fine are you planning a camping trip a barbecue tell us your thoughts on mosquitoes and deep down below in the comments and subscribe but since we're talking camping and cooking you should check out Catching Fire how cooking made us human it's that other Catching Fire book it's about how learning to cook our food helped Ancient Man evolve into the hot dog eating corn grilling Supermen of day it's pretty fascinating stuff actually if you go to audiblepodcast.com/dnews you can sign up for a 30-day free trial and get a book of your choice plus it tells audible that you love dudes and that's awesome for us too you also love cooking obviously and maybe outdoorsy stuff thanks for watchingthis episode of D news is brought to you by audible it seems like we're only just now figuring out that these old timey chemicals might not be safe but will mosquito repellent repel my health too howdy entomologists in friends Trace here for D news NN diethyl m toide is a powerful and common insect repellent invented by the US Department of Agriculture in 1946 you probably know it as DEET during World War G the Army needed to protect soldiers fighting in insect heavy areas and this colorless liquid doesn't easily wash off and can be appli directly to the skin even though it's been sold to the public since 1957 like many things from the 20th century people are still wary but according to research published in parasites and vectors DEET is a okay first things first DEET is not DDT DDT is a pesticide that has been banned worldwide for use in agriculture DEET is an insect repellent DDT causes cancer DEET is a tiny bit toxic to birds fish and Aquatic invertebrates but completely safe for humans and mammals DEET repels mosquitoes black flies tick fleas chers and no seum I don't even know what that is here in the west that means fewer itchy bites but in places where malaria West Nile virus or lime disease run rampant good insect repellent can mean the difference between life and death scientists know this Chemical Works but they're not exactly sure how we know mosquitoes locate humans using their sense of smell they sense our carbon dioxide lactic acid and a chemical we release called one Octan 3ol depending on the study scientists believe DEET targets the sensors in the mosquito making us effectively invisible to them or depending they sometimes just simply think it smells bad either way it works thanks to its success DEET became a staple for American backyard barbecues but then in the 1980s DEET was blamed for several cases of encylopedic the de scare turned into kind of a bit of a thing in the last two decades since this scare there have been several studies finding that DEET is just fine as long as you follow the instructions posted on the can the EPA agrees as long as we follow the label so don't ingest it don't get it in your eyeballs and you'll be just fine the World Health Organization says DEET is applied to skin 200 million times a year worldwide and since only a few people have died in the 50 years since it went on sale it's pretty difficult to blame the old stuff but if a 30-year-old chemical scare still has you wondering the Centers for Disease Control have an alternative oil of Lemon Eucalyptus I know sounds exotic but we checked and they even have it at like Wall-E worlds so you're fine are you planning a camping trip a barbecue tell us your thoughts on mosquitoes and deep down below in the comments and subscribe but since we're talking camping and cooking you should check out Catching Fire how cooking made us human it's that other Catching Fire book it's about how learning to cook our food helped Ancient Man evolve into the hot dog eating corn grilling Supermen of day it's pretty fascinating stuff actually if you go to audiblepodcast.com/dnews you can sign up for a 30-day free trial and get a book of your choice plus it tells audible that you love dudes and that's awesome for us too you also love cooking obviously and maybe outdoorsy stuff thanks for watching\n"
