2. New Mosquito Repellant beats DEET

Source:

Rowe A. Wired [Internet]. Wired Science. New Mosquito Repellant beats DEET; 19 Aug 2009 [cited 2010 Jan 30]; [about 2 screen]. Available from: http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/08/deetstreet/

A new chemical was found as a possible replacement for DEET. This new chemical is named N- Acylpiperidines and it has repelling properties that are four times greater than DEET. Pest repellant is important for developing countries and for military soldiers stationed in areas where pest control is a problem. DEET may be a possible health hazard when applied because it has similar properties to nerve gas. However, this finding was only conducted on unprotected cells in a laboratory. Real life application on the human body may be different. The new chemical is a component of spicy peppers and is what gives peppers its spicy taste. Although it is derived from peppers, it does not share the same aroma. The discovery of N- Acylpiperidines properties resulted from a test of 23 chemicals that have mosquito repellant properties. Volunteers’ arms were dabbed with each chemical and placed into a cage containing 500 mosquitoes. The results of the experiment show that N-Acylpiperidines protected for 73 days compared to DEET which protected for only 17 days. N-Acylpiperidines will not be available for purchase because it has only been tested on one type of mosquito, but further test will be done to determine its effects on other pest.