{"id":9981,"date":"2015-05-18T10:00:16","date_gmt":"2015-05-18T15:00:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.paristn.net\/articles\/?p=9981"},"modified":"2015-05-17T21:19:24","modified_gmt":"2015-05-18T02:19:24","slug":"consumer-reports-tests-found-insect-repellents-that-are-safer-more-effective-than-some-deet-products","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.paristn.net\/articles\/2015\/05\/18\/consumer-reports-tests-found-insect-repellents-that-are-safer-more-effective-than-some-deet-products\/","title":{"rendered":"Consumer Reports Tests Found Insect Repellents That Are Safer, More Effective Than Some Deet Products"},"content":{"rendered":"

For the first time, picaridin & oil of lemon eucalyptus products top the ratings<\/h2>\n

\"ConsumerYonkers, NY<\/strong> – there is good news for consumers concerned about dousing their skin with potentially harmful repellents in order to arm themselves against insect bites. Consumer Reports tests found the more effective bug repellents were also among the safer choices.<\/p>\n

For the first time ever in Consumer Reports tests, the top scorers (Sawyer Fisherman\u2019s Formula & Repel Lemon Eucalyptus) outperformed products that contained up to 25 percent deet, a chemical that can cause serious side effects. The active ingredient behind Sawyer Fisherman\u2019s Formula is 20 percent picaridin, and for Repel Lemon Eucalyptus it\u2019s 30 percent oil of lemon eucalyptus. Both products were able to keep mosquitoes and deer ticks away for at least seven hours.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey are not side-effect-free, but those problems are less severe than deet. Still, all repellents should be used sparingly and only for the time you need them\u2014especially on children and older people,\u201d said Ellen Kunes, Consumer Reports\u2019 heath and food content development team leader.<\/p>\n

Nearly three-quarters of Americans say they worry less about such side effects and more about the diseases, such as Lyme disease, West Nile virus, and emerging insect-borne threats like Chikungunya and Powassan, according to a recent Consumer Reports survey of 2,011 American adults. Yet, while most people also say that safety is key when they choose a repellent, only about a third think the products now on the market are safe for adults, and even fewer\u201423 percent\u2014think the repellents are safe for kids.<\/p>\n

Picaridin resembles the compound piperine, which occurs naturally in a group of plants used to produce black pepper. Oil of lemon eucalyptus comes from the gum eucalyptus tree. Both have less serious side effects than deet. Oil of lemon eucalyptus can cause temporary eye injury. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says it should not be used on children under age 3. Of the two, picaridin is a better choice for kids, although it may cause some irritation of the skin, eyes, and lungs.<\/p>\n

To find the most effective spray-on repellents, Consumer Reports went to an outside laboratory to test 15 pump sprays and aerosols. The products contained deet, picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus, a chemical called IR3535, and products made with natural plant oils.<\/p>\n

An effective bug-avoidance strategy requires a full arsenal of approaches. Consumer Reports latest tests provide clarifying advice on other methods, too, identify a non-chemical approaches that may help. The complete ratings available at www.ConsmerReports.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Testers had a different repellent applied to each of their forearms and, starting 30 minutes later, reached into an 8-cubic-foot cage (2 feet long x 2 feet wide x 2 feet high) containing 200 disease-free, female mosquitoes in need of a blood meal to lay their eggs.<\/p>\n

[320left]Consumer Reports used the lab culex mosquitoes (the kind that transmit West Nile and are most active between dusk and dawn) and aedes (a variety that\u2019s active all day long and carries chikungunya). Experts watched and recorded bites every hour. A repellent failed if a tester was bitten two or more times in one 5-minute session, or once in two consecutive sessions.<\/p>\n

For deer ticks, the lab marked each tester\u2019s bare arm with three lines, applied repellent between two of the lines and starting 30 minutes later, released, one at a time, five disease-free deer ticks to crawl on them. The repellent failed if two ticks crossed into the treated area.<\/p>\n

Two deet products also earned at least Very Good scores in Consumer Reports tests for keeping bugs at bay\u2014and the repellent that contains 15 percent deet (Repel Scented Family) out-performed the 25 percent deet product (Off! Deepwoods VIII) against deer ticks\u2014possibly because of its inactive ingredients. The IR3535 products, Coleman SkinSmart and BullFrog Mosquito Coast, didn\u2019t make Consumer Reports list of top sprays.<\/p>\n

Consumer Reports tests found that products with natural plant oils, such as citronella, lemongrass, and rosemary, often have labels that talk a good game, sometimes claiming that the product is \u201cproven effective\u201d against mosquitoes or that it \u201crepels mosquitoes for hours.\u201d But don\u2019t believe it. Unlike repellents with chemically synthesized ingredients, plant-oil products are exempt from scrutiny by the Environmental Protection Agency. That\u2019s because the EPA considers them \u201cminimum risk.\u201d<\/p>\n

But none of those products Consumer Reports tested lasted more than one hour against aedes mosquitoes after being applied, and some failed almost immediately. In addition, the names of two products\u2014Babyganics Natural and EcoSmart Organic\u2014imply that they\u2019re organic. But neither contains certified organic ingredients or bears the U.S. Department of Agriculture organic seal.<\/p>\n

Proper use is essential, even with safer repellents. Consumer Reports recommends:<\/strong><\/p>\n