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."