The incognito Blog
The active ingredient in many insect repellents, N,N-Diethyl-3-methylbenzamide, known as DEET, may harm the central nervous system, French researchers said.
Vincent Corbel from the Institut de Recherche pour le Developpement in Montpellier and Bruno Lapied of the University of Angers, both in France, led a team of researchers that investigated the toxicity of DEET.
A study released on Wednesday warned that one of the world’s most common insect repellents acts on the central nervous system in the same way as some insecticides and nerve gases, AFP reported.
Researchers say moderate use of the chemical compound deet is most likely safe, but experiments on insects, as well as on enzymes extracted from mice and human neurons, showed for the first time that it can interfere with the proper functioning of the nervous system.
Just last week a natural, scientifically proven anti-insect formula called incognito appeared on BBC’s Dragon’s Den, narrowly missing investment mainly due to the dragons’ failure to realise the significance of the health implications of traditional repellents which contain the pesticide DEET.
People often ask me how on earth did I get into the insect protection business from publishing and I usually refer them to my malaria story after the mosquito image here though this is only half of the truth. After being given the all clear by the Hospital for Tropical Diseases I returned to work … Continue reading "My Malaria Story"