Article: Tomato-based repellent 'beats Deet'

[Guest guest]

Seems lots of stuff out there is shown to work better than DEET

 

*Smile*

Chris (list mom)

http://www.alittleolfactory.com

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Wednesday, 12 June, 2002, 11:19 GMT 12:19 UK

Tomato-based repellent 'beats Deet'

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/2037822.stm

 

A mosquito repellent that includes a compound from tomatoes could prove

safer and more effective than current chemicals.

 

Preventing mosquito bites is a key part of efforts to prevent the spread

of diseases such as malaria and dengue fever, particularly among

travellers to tropical countries.

 

 

Deet (N, N-diethyl-meta-toluamide), the active ingredient in the

majority of repellent sprays and creams, has been linked with

occasionally severe reactions.

 

 

The US Environmental Protection Agency no longer allows labels of

products containing Deet to describe them as " safe for children " .

 

 

The discovery, by scientists at North Carolina State University, US,

could produce a repellent which is less toxic.

 

 

The tomato plant has an innate ability to fend off attacks from insects.

 

 

 

Dr Michael Roe, Professor of Entomology at North Carolina, took an

extract of the plant and tested it to see if it had specific effects on

mosquitoes - which can carry the malaria parasite.

 

 

They found it to be extremely effective not only against mosquitoes, but

also against ticks, which are commonplace in many countries and can also

carry disease.

 

 

In addition, the compound - labelled IBI-246 -is already used

extensively in cosmetics, meaning that its toxicity has been

well-tested.

 

 

The university has patented its use as an insect repellent, and a

biotechnology firm is using it as the basis for new products.

 

 

Dr Roe said: " It's found in tomatoes, it's natural, it can be obtained

organically, it's safe and it's at least as effective as Deet, all

features that the public would want for a new-generation insect

repellent.

 

 

" With the concern about West Nile virus and Lyme disease, spread by

mosquitoes and ticks, respectively - in the US and with the threat of

other diseases such as malaria outside the US, people need the personal

protection of insect repellents. "

 

 

On the way

 

 

Researchers are hopeful that a product containing the extract will be on

the market by the end of the year.

 

 

Professor Chris Curtis, from the London School of Tropical Hygiene and

Medicine, London, UK, said that Deet had, perhaps unfairly, received a

bad press in the past.

 

 

He said: " There have been reports of adverse reactions, but when these

are compared with the millions of applications of repellents containing

Deet, it really does appear to be relatively safe.

 

 

" The only difficulty is that it can damage certain plastics if it comes

into contact with them.

 

 

" We have tested a variety of products and found that all of them are

effective, although not 100%, including one containing lemon and

eucalyptus. "