Deet Safety

Deet safety is something that unfortunately, not enough people know about nor pay attention to.

Deet is classified as a pesticide by the EPA, that alone should be enough to concern you, and is in most over the counter pest repellents. Since the media's coverage about the health risks concerning Deet many people have realized the facts and are looking for an alternative to deet.

There were 3 major incidents covered by the media which finally got people's attention. The first was when NY State banned Deet products with a 30% or more concentration in 1995, the second was when the US Military started supplying soldier's with Deet products with 33% or less concentration and the third incident was when Deet products were believed to have some type of link to Gulf War Syndrome.

Now let's look at a little more Deet safety information concerning the side effects when using this product. Deet enters the bloodstream through the skin and while many people do not have any side affects, other's have had some. A few people have even died from using Deet. Children are a lot more susceptible and have a lot more side effects than adults do. That is why it is not recommended to use this product on children under the age of 8. That is not to say you cannot use it, just be very aware of the side effects. Definitely DO NOT use on infants. If you do decide to use it on young children, use as little as possible and don't use it under clothing. Keep it away from their hands, mouth, nose and eyes. Wash it off as soon as they are where it is not needed anymore. Use soap and water to wash it off.

There are too many Deet free products on the market that work just as good and are a heck of a lot safer, so I recommend looking at those. If you think you absolutely need to use products using deet then you need to be aware of the side effects so you can watch for them in the future. Many of these side effects will not show up for months or even years after you use the products with too much exposure. Memory loss, headaches, weakness, fatigue, muscle and joint pain, tremors, and shortness of breath are the major side effects that you will need to watch for.

There are a few rules to follow when it comes to Deet safety:

Do not use this product when it is mixed with a sunscreen product. What happens is when you jump in the water the sunscreen washes off but it leaves the deet. So when you get out and put on more sunscreen you double the amount of deet that you had on you too start with. Deet is not water soluble and will not just rinse off with water, you need to use soap and water to clean it off.

Do not overexpose yourself to this product regardless of how old you are. Too much can create rashes , itching, severe cases of insomnia, irritability and confusion.

Do not spray near food or in an enclosed area.

Do not apply over cuts, wounds or rashes.

Do wash with soap and water when you get indoors.

Do wash the clothing you were wearing.

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