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Bee sting
Bee sting

Bug-repellent safety
Alternative Names:
Insect-repellent safety

Information:

Question:
Are bug-repellent sprays safe?

Answer:
The safest bug repellent is proper clothing. Cover your head and neck with a full-brimmed hat and shield your ankles and wrists. Tuck pant cuffs into socks and wear light-colored clothing, which is less attractive than dark clothing to biting insects and also makes it easier to spot any ticks or insects that have landed. Check clothes regularly for bugs. Protective netting around sleeping and eating areas is a good way to keep the bugs at bay. When visiting an area with a large insect population, always use some type of bug repellent.

To avoid skin irritation, apply insect repellent to clothing. However, always test the repellent on a small area of clothing to determine if it will bleach the fabric.

Whenever you are in mosquito, sand fly, or tick territory, chemical insect repellents are necessary. The best repellents contain the chemicals DEET, Indalone, Rutgers 612 and DMP. R-326 is useful against biting flies. Use repellent on exposed skin and use sparingly only ? no more than two times a day. Do not use on sunburned skin.

Despite their popularity, bath oil or skin stick provide only one hour of protection against bugs compared to products containing 25 percent DEET which last for seven hours. If using both sunscreen and bug repellent, apply the sunscreen first and wait 30 minutes before applying the bug repellent.

To avoid toxicity from insect repellents:

  • apply repellent sparingly and only to exposed skin or clothing. Keep out of eyes.
  • avoid high concentration products on the skin, particularly with children.
  • never inhale or ingest repellents.
  • wear long-sleeved clothing and apply repellent to fabric rather than to skin.
  • repellent should never be used on children's hands because they are likely to rub their eyes with them or put them in their mouth.
  • children two years old and younger should not have insect repellent applied to their skin more than once in a 24-hour period.
  • wash repellent off your skin after the risk of being bitten by an insect is gone.
Review Date: 1/29/2002
Reviewed By: Victoria Kennedy, RN, A.D.A.M. editorial. (1/29/2002). Previous review: Alan Greene, MD, CMO, adam.com. (10/8/1999).
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