Poorva Chavan
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Written By: Poorva Chavan | Updated : April 22, 2016 6:07 PM IST
Mosquito repellents are widely used in India for protection from mosquito bites and preventing diseases like malaria and dengue. While vaporisers are very common now, mosquito repellent creams, coils, and mats have been used for a long time.
While they might seem harmless, many studies have pointed out the side effects of using these different types of mosquito repellents. Most of these repellents contain allethrin, a pyrethroid, which is a synthetic version of a natural insecticide derived from chrysanthemum flowers. When mats, coils, and liquids are heated, allethrin is vaporised without breaking down into different compounds and produces a repelling action on the mosquitoes.
How mosquito repellents affect our health
A study published in the journal Current Science, a questionnaire-based survey was carried out in urban and rural areas in nine Indian states and responses from users and medically qualified doctors were recorded. Out of the people that were surveyed, 11.8% complained of some or the other kind of toxicity either immediately or within a few hours after the use of repellents.
Here's what they found:
Breathing problems--The survey found that breathing problems were most common with 4.2% people reporting difficulty in breathing which was accompanied by a headache or eye irritation or both.
Eye irritation--Eye irritation was the second most common problem with 2.8% people complaining about it. It was also accompanied by bronchial irritation, headache or skin irritation.
Cough and cold--1.67% participants complained of a cough, cold and a running nose. It was also accompanied by fever or sneezing.
Asthma--The survey also found that some people also complained of wheezing and asthma and in two cases, users who did not have asthma became asthmatic.
A few people also complained of pain in the ear and the throat.
Skin reactions--Out of the people who used creams or lotions with DEET (diethyl toluamide), 11.4% reported skin reactions like rashes, skin turning black and oily and itching. Three cases also complained of suffocating odour and eye irritation.
Out of the 286 doctors surveyed from the same area as the household surveys, they confirmed that patients with bronchial irritation, strong reactions leading to asthma and ENT or eye problems needed treatment. The study also confirms that chemicals in mosquito repellents can cause a runny nose, wheezing, and their prolonged use can cause corneal damage, asthma and liver damage.
However, it is important to not that for the study, 5920 persons were surveyed, out of which 5289 did not report any adverse health effects after using mosquito repellents.
Preventing mosquito breeding and alternatives to chemical mosquito repellents
Controlling mosquito breeding is one of the most important ways of preventing the spread of mosquito-borne diseases. Not storing water for a long time, emptying old buckets, tyres and pots that are filled with water can prevent mosquitoes from breeding. You can also ensure your drainage system is in place and the drains are covered. Also, make sure there's no water accumulation around your house for the mosquitoes to lay eggs.
When it comes to preventing mosquito bites, you probably use chemical repellents. But, there are a few natural mosquito repellents like neem and coconut oil that you can use instead of mosquito repellent creams. Also, there are many plants that are natural mosquito repellents. Planting citronella and basil keep mosquitoes away.
Reference
SHARMA VP. Health hazards of mosquito repellents and safe alternatives. Curr Sci 2001; 80: 341-343.
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