National Pesticide Information Center - Choosing and Using Insect Repellents

Choosing and Using Insect Repellents Image - Using Repellents

Insect repellents can help reduce your risk of being bitten by insects and therefore reduce your risk of getting a disease carried by mosquitoes or ticks. Numerous products are available to repel mosquitoes and ticks. Sometimes, it can be difficult to decide which product to use when you are planning to be outdoors. Scroll down to view the resources which provide information useful when deciding on insect repellents.

Using Insect Repellents:

Active Ingredients Found in Insect Repellents - Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
How to use Insect Repellents Safely - Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
What You Need to Know about Mosquito Repellent - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Insect Repellent Use and Safety - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Traveler's Health: Mosquito and Tick Protection - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Safety Tips on Using Personal Insect Repellents - Health Canada

Comparing Efficacy of DEET and Other Insect Repellents

Updated Information regarding Mosquito Repellents, May 2008 - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Insect Repellent Use and Safety (Summaries of Comparative Efficacy of Insect Repellents from NEJM 347(1):13-18, see next link for original article) - CDC
Comparative Efficacy of Insect Repellents against Mosquito Bites - Fradin and Day, 2002; New England Journal of Medicine 347(1):13-18
Mosquitoes and Mosquito Repellents: A Clinician's Guide - Fradin, M. S., 1998; Annals of Internal Medicine 128:931-940
Mosquito Repellents - University of Florida Extension
What's the Scoop on Insect Repellents? - University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension
Repellent Wars - University of Florida Extension
DEET Alternatives Considered to be Effective Mosquito Repellents - American Academy of Pediatrics

DEET Use and Safety Information

Children and Pregnant/Nursing Women

Follow Safety Precautions When Using DEET on Children - American Academy of Pediatrics
DEET and Pregnancy - Organization of Teratology Information Service (OTIS)
DEET-based Insect Repellents: Safety Implications for Children and Pregnant and Lactating Women - Koren et al., 2003; Canadian Medical Association Journal 169(3)
Exposure of Children to DEET and Other Topically Applied Insect Repellents - Menon and Brown, 2005; American Journal of Industrial Medicine
Safety of the Insect Repellent DEET in Pregnancy - McGready et al. 2001; J. Trop. Med. Hyg., 65(4)

DEET and Sunscreen

Can I use an insect repellent and a product containing sunscreen at the same time? - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Insect Repellant Interactions: Sunscreens Enhanced DEET Absorption - Ross et al., 2004; Drug Metabolisn and Disposition 32:783-785

Insect Repellent Toxicology

DEET

DEET General Fact Sheet - NPIC
DEET Technical Fact Sheet - NPIC
DEET Reregistration Eligibility Decision Fact Sheet - Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
DEET Reregistration Eligibility Decision - Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
West Nile Virus Mosquito Repellent: DEET - New York City Department of Health

Picaridin

Picaridin - NPIC Technical Fact Sheet
Picaridin - EPA Pesticide Fact Sheet
Icaridin (Picaridin) - World Health Organization (WHO) Specifications and Evaluations for Public Health Pesticides

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