Safe pest control?

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is a LOT in the news lately. But what about the common, everyday problems they provide information about? Do you like mosquito control?

The CDC states that all mosquito repellants must have active ingredients approved by the EPA. Sounds logical right? If the EPA has the registration number for a pest control product, you can trust it knowing that the EPA has given you their ‘Safety Blessing’. Right?

Uh, wrong! We are so many WRONG levels!

The EPA only registers products that use ingredients known as toxins, poisons, and carcinogens. In other words, if a pest control product has a registration number, then the EPA knows that the active ingredient is scary.

To receive a registration number, the EPA has conducted testing and analysis to determine the dangerous upper limits of human exposure to that active ingredient. The labeling is then approved based on instructions, cautions, warnings, etc. supposedly to protect the public. Note that the test is done for 180 pound adult males … not the 35 pound toddler who is eaten alive by mosquitoes.

An EPA registration number on a pest control product means that you are using something that is dangerous enough to require monitoring.

In fact, it gets worse …

Notice on the labels of the EPA registered pest control products where the active ingredient and the percentage are indicated … then it indicates the inactive, other or inert ingredients with their percentage. Well, what exactly are inactive, other, or inert ingredients?

Nobody knows. Inactive ingredients are not even identified by the manufacturer or by the EPA. They are classified as “trade secrets” and can be anything on the planet and no one is the wiser.

True Story: Many pet owners have been using eyedrop treatments on their pets for years with no problems. Then one year, thousands of pets in the US suffered chemical burns to their backs from the usual dose. What happened? The manufacturer changed the inactive ingredients because they got something cheaper. Did they get in trouble for harming all these pets? NOT! Because they were registered by the EPA!

The example of poor pest control is DEET. Sure, it is effective at repelling insects, without a doubt. But it also has a long list of side effects that would make you wonder why ANYONE would be exposed to something so horrible!

Deet has been shown to be responsible for certain health problems such as seizures, rashes, slurred speech, confusion, muscle spasms, and worst of all, death. Tried. Numerous reports in 1995 showed clear evidence that DEET is harmful to humans. And melt the plastic, do you want that on your skin?

However, the CDC states that people must use products with EPA-approved ingredients. Hmm …

Are you still safe?