The EPA plans to develop more stringent testing and evaluation requirements for both existing and new products.(Photo courtesy of Isiegert CC-2.0)
Tens of thousands of pets are getting sick when their owners use flea and tick pesticides the wrong way. The Environmental Protection Agency wants the companies to change the directions on the labels. Rebecca Williams has more:
Transcript
Tens of thousands of pets are getting sick when their owners use flea and tick pesticides the wrong way. The Environmental Protection Agency wants the companies to change the directions on the labels. Rebecca Williams has more:
EPA officials are concerned about spot-on pesticides for fleas and ticks – the drops you put on your pet’s back.
EPA has been investigating these products because of a recent huge jump in reports of negative effects on pets. Most are mild… such as skin irritation. But there have also been reports of vomiting, seizures and in some cases, death.
Steve Owens is with the EPA. He says these products are poisons. And he says the labels are not always clear.
“The consumers in many cases were left to guess for themselves the appropriate amount to be used on their particular pet.”
The EPA is working with companies to put more detailed directions on the labels.
In the meantime, Owens says you should be really careful about reading the directions. He says it’s especially important not to use dog products on cats.
A team is researching the next generation of bug sprays, some that may not be as smelly or as sticky as DEET (Photo by Lester Graham)
It’s summertime – sometimes known as
mosquito and tick season. For decades, bug
sprays with DEET have been the most effective
to keep those disease-carrying pests away.
But there are some new repellants on the
market – and even more to come. Julie Grant
has the buzz on bug sprays:
Transcript
It’s summertime – sometimes known as
mosquito and tick season. For decades, bug
sprays with DEET have been the most effective
to keep those disease-carrying pests away.
But there are some new repellants on the
market – and even more to come. Julie Grant
has the buzz on bug sprays:
Hot summer nights haven’t changed all that much since
1957. Sure, they’re selling sushi at ball parks these days.
(sound of baseball game)
But, for the most part, people are still using the same bug
spray.
DEET was designed in the 1950s for military use.
Stores started selling it soon after. At this kids’ baseball
game in northeast Ohio, there are as many opinions about
DEET and bug sprays as there are people.
Person 1: “I if I did use bug spray, I would use DEET. I heard that’s the
best.”
Person 2: “No, actually, I am concerned about any kind of chemical. I
don’t like to use it. I don’t think it’s necessary.”
Person 3: “I’ve been scratching all week.”
Julie Grant: “Why don’t you use it?”
Person 3: “Stinks.”
Person 4: “Probably looking for something without DEET, of course,
which is pretty much outlawed anyway.”
Child: “I have a bug bite on my neck.”
Person 4: “Yes, you do have a bug bite on your neck, which is why
we need to go look for something.”
Actually, DEET is not even close to being outlawed. It’s used
hundreds of millions of times each year – by backyard
barbeque-ers and soldiers, alike.
In all these years, there have been only fifty reports of skin
problems or seizures – and those were attributed to gross
overuse, and couldn’t be definitely connected to DEET.
But it is a plasticizer. If it touches your watch face, it will
smear the plastic. And that makes people a little nervous.
And while it does drive away a wide array of bugs, including
mosquitoes that carry West Nile Virus, DEET does not protect
against mosquitoes that carry malaria, or ticks that carry
lyme disease and rocky mountain spotted fever.
The worst thing about DEET for lots of people is that
stickiness and that evil smell.
Trisha Branden is a health editor with Consumer Reports
magazine. She says lots of people just don’t like using
DEET.
“But I think everyone has their own sensitivity, particularly
when it comes to the smell and feel of DEET. It’s better to
have some protection than none at all.”
Consumer Reports has surveyed bug sprays and crèmes on
the market.
They found that the higher the concentration of
DEET, the longer it protects you from bugs. At the highest
level, 98% DEET, it lasted half a day.
But some products contain as little as 7% DEET because it
smells so bad.
Some people want something else. The EPA recently
approved a new chemical – called Picaridin. It smells better.
Consumer Reports found that Picaridin products kept
mosquitoes away for up to four hours. That’s not too bad.
It’s better than the natural products. If you use soybean or
peppermint oil, Branden says you’ll probably have to reapply
a lot – at least every two hours.
“If you compare that to Picaridin product or the low DEET
products, that is not nearly the protection.”
Chemist Ulrich Burnier is on a team researching the next
generation of bug sprays. He believes there are more
effective chemicals out there. They’ve tested thousands of
chemicals and narrowed it down to seven.
“If we’re successful, the ideal product will give you 24 hours
protection, so you only have to apply once a day, you’ll be
protected around the clock. It’s not a plasticizer. And,
actually, this morning, I spent time trying to pick up odors
from these seven compounds, and none of us participating in this
study could detect any disagreeable odors from any of these
compounds.”
DEET still works pretty well. But mosquitoes and other
invading insects are thriving. As we experience climate
change, levels of mosquito-borne diseases like malaria are
on the rise.
(sound of baseball game)
When you’re at your nephew’s baseball game, and fending
off bugs, you might need to be a little patient. It could take a
few years. But experts say you should be able to find new
products that you like and that work for you.
The forests, lakes and rivers of northern Wisconsin are popular with many
outdoors enthusiasts. People enjoy everything from hunting and fishing to
hiking and biking. But playing outdoors has its downsides.
The most notable would be the dreaded tick. While most people think the
blood-sucking bugs are creepy, one town has decided to accept them. And
even have a little fun. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Todd Witter has
the story:
The EPA plans to develop more stringent testing and evaluation requirements for both existing and new products.(Photo courtesy of Isiegert CC-2.0)