Banning citronella mosquito sprays leaves no alternatives to people experiencing negative reactions to DEET products, as well as parents trying to find safe alternatives for your children.
Health Canada is pulling the last of citronella-based bug sprays off the shelves by the end of December 2014 because of "the absence of adequate safety data.” leaving no alternatives to those that cannot or would not use DEET bug sprays. The essential oil has been used as an insect repellent in Canada for decades.
The reason these safe citronella products are being ordered off the market – even as DEET has caused so many side effects and is still widely available – involves establishment manipulation of science. You see, citronella contains a substance called methyleugenol. When methyleugenol on its own was administered internally to mice – via a stomach tube – tumours arose at multiple sites.http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/ntp/roc/ twelfth/profiles/Methyleugenol.pdf Oral administration and intraperitoneal injections in rats produced similar results. The conclusion that was reached and publicized right off the top is that methyleugenol is “Reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen” so citronella is being pulled based on “reasonable anticipation.” But there are problems with Health Canada’s rationale. Humans applying citronella oil to their skin is obviously not the equivalent of forcing oral ingestion of one of its isolated constituents into the stomachs of mice/rats or injecting it into their body cavities, (i.e. methyleugenol). In addition to the obvious reasons, when it comes to natural substances, the whole simply doesn’t equal the sum of the parts.
The move has left scientists who advised Health Canada on the issue befuddled by the ban. So are many consumers who prefer natural bug sprays over ones with synthetic chemicals like DEET.
The move has left scientists who advised Health Canada on the issue befuddled by the ban. So are many consumers who prefer natural bug sprays over ones with synthetic chemicals like DEET.
More information at links regarding news of the ban:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/health-canada-pulling-last-of-citronella-based-bug-sprays-1.2750365
http://commonground.ca/2012/10/health-canada-bans-citronella/
Secondary DEET effects:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002763.htm
