Dangerous legacies of mosquito repellent

Dangerous legacies of mosquito repellent

By Stevie Emilia

JAKARTA (JP): A nurse offers mosquito repellent lotion to a
security guard to help him get rid of the irritating mosquitoes.
As he expresses his gratitude, the nurse seductively adds that
the lotion is safe to use on his skin.

The two characters are currently appearing in a commercial
promoting a mosquito repellent lotion.

Mosquito repellents are widely used to eliminate mosquitoes
from their houses. The repellent is in the form of liquid,
aerosol, incense and lotion.

Housewife Arinta Numan has been using mosquito repellent spray
to get rid off mosquitoes in her house. She switched from one
brand to another anytime she felt the product was no longer
effective to kill mosquitoes.

"I use mosquito repellent spray because it's effective and
efficient. Sometimes I have to use it several times to make sure
all the mosquitoes are gone," said the mother of one living in
Pejompongan, Central Jakarta.

She knows that mosquito repellent is not completely safe.

"But I can't figure out another way to get rid of mosquitoes.
But I do take precautions. I only spray the rooms when no one is
inside," Arinta said.

Consumer activist Ilyani A.S. said it is not safe to use
mosquito repellent because its residue, containing active
substances, might remain in household items for an unknown period
of time.

"But most people are lazy. They don't want to trouble
themselves (in getting rid of mosquitoes) and they prefer an
instant way of doing it, by using mosquito repellent," Ilyani of
the Indonesian Consumers Foundation told The Jakarta Post.

Last month, Ilyani completed a label analysis of 17 mosquito
repellent products. Seven types were investigated: incense
sticks, electric mats, liquid spray, aerosol spray, electronic
liquid, lotions and electronic gels. The label was analyzed based
on existing literature, to see whether it provided correct
information for consumers.

She said the results of the analysis indicated that mosquito
repellent's active substances are dangerous. The danger level
depends on the type of the active substance and the level
contained in each product.

"The label analysis shows that all mosquito repellent products
do mention the active substance in their labels," she said. "But
the information about the active substances is not followed by
clear warnings."

She said that warnings such as "danger poison", "beware
poisonous", or "caution", should be based on the lethal dose
contained in each product. But her analysis revealed that most
products include a warning in the safety instruction, which might
not be noticed by buyers of the product.

She said that according to the Food and Agriculture
Organization's International Code of Conduct on the Distribution
and Use of Pesticides' recommendation, the warning should be
clearly stated below the product's brand-name in capital letters
and with an appropriate symbol.

"From the label analysis, it turns up that instead of
warnings, one will find words praising the product's superiority
below the brand-name," Ilyani said. Her analysis was also
published in the October issue of the foundation's monthly
magazine Warta Konsumen.

She said that the warnings were important because most
shoppers did not possess adequate knowledge about mosquito
repellent's active substances.

She said mosquito repellent's most dangerous active substance
was DDVP (dichlorovynil dimetyl phosfat) or dichlorvos.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) Grade Class,
DDVP is rated as a first class poison for its high poisonous
level. It affects one's health, and can lead to neurological,
respiratory, reproductive and heart problems; it might even
trigger cancer.

From the 17 brand-names analyzed, several of them contained
this active substance. They are Hit (both liquid and aerosol
spray), Raid (liquid and aerosol spray) and Swallow's spray.

Another dangerous active substance is propoxur, a second class
poison that is considered moderately hazardous but also affects
one's health if inhaled or absorbed by one's body. It can cause
blurred vision, excessive sweating, dizziness, headaches and
weaken one's body.

This substance is also said to be able to reduce enzyme
activity, which is important for neurological transmissions and
have a negative impact on the heart and reproduction system.

In her analysis, Ilyani found that some products stated that
they contained propoxur in their labels. They are Baygon (liquid
and aerosol spray), Hit (electric mat, liquid and aerosol spray),
Mafu (liquid and aerosol spray) and Raid (liquid and spray).

Apart from DDVP and propoxur, another active substance that is
often used is phyrethroid, which is considered a middle class
poison by WHO. The substance can cause skin and eye irritations
and may cause asthma.

Mosquito repellent brands which use phyrethroid are Baygon,
Fumakilla, Vape, Tiga Roda, TOP, Moon Deer and Mosgad.

Mosquito repellent in the form of lotion, such as Sari Puspa,
Autan, Vaseline and Off!, are no less dangerous. The products
mention that they contain DEET, or Diethyltoluamide, that might
effect one's health, among other things causing skin irritation.

Apart from the absence of warnings, Ilyani also urged mosquito
repellent manufacturers to indicate on the products packaging the
dangerous nature of the substances, instead of using flowery
designs such as can be found on Force Magic, Swallow and Sari
Puspa bottles and packets.

"Reckless consumers might assume the product is safe, or they
might even think of the products as an air freshener," Ilyani
said.

She urged consumers to use natural mosquito repellent methods.

Ilyani suggested that people could use an electric fan to get
rid of mosquitoes because they did not like moving air.

"But people can also use mosquito nets while sleeping, or use
protective nets in their windows to prevent mosquitoes from
coming in," Ilyani said. "There are many things one can do
instead of using mosquito repellents."