The phone calls get more frequent-and curious-this time of year for people like Phil Nixon and Terry Miller. They are experts on how to control insects around the house.
“The biggest problem is homeowners who don’t read the label before using a product,” said Nixon, an entomologist with University of Illinois Extension in Urbana. “Insect sprays and other pesticides come to market after 8 to 10 years of testing required by the Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA is careful to make manufacturers spell out the proper use of a product.
“But, most commonly, people spray the stuff, then read the label and call us because they are worried about possible health hazards,” he said.
Miller, who runs the EPA-funded National Pesticide Telecommunications Network (800-858-7378), said thousands of consumers call every year with “second thoughts” about a product already used.
“The first thing anyone should do is determine if you have a pest problem or not,” said Miller, a professor of environmental toxicology at Oregon State University. “Most callers have skipped this step. If you see one spider in the house, it doesn’t mean you have to spray the whole place.”
Health risk is a good starting point for deciding if the ants in your kitchen or mosquitoes in the back yard are serious pests or mere nuisances. Some bugs present minimal threat to well-being, while others can be more problematic.
For instance, studies by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have linked cockroaches to asthma outbreaks in poor urban areas. The results make a strong argument for using home products or a professional exterminator service to eliminate the pests.
But, in too many cases, experts like Nixon and Miller contend the misuse of bug sprays and other insecticides is what introduces the heightened risk. Children, older individuals and anyone with a compromised immune system is most susceptible to reactions that range from skin rashes to flu-like symptoms. If a bug repellent is somehow ingested, it can be life-threatening. Even too much direct skin contact can cause a severe reaction, especially in young children whose nervous systems are still developing.
“These products do kill organisms,” said Dr. Tom Scaletta, chairman of the department of emergency medicine at West Suburban Hospital and Medical Center in Oak Park. “They are typically diluted enough to kill bugs and not humans. But people who use any product should really know (potency) and carefully follow directions.”
Overuse is one concern. Ants, for instance, are unlikely to harm even infants or toddlers, Nixon said. That’s because ants don’t carry disease. If a chemical spray is used to kill them, they will proceed to track the potentially toxic material around a home.
Better to employ standard ant bait traps sold at the grocery or drug store. Nixon recommends the traps over sprays to eliminate the possibility of inhaling. The traps have trace amounts of insecticide, enough to kill ants but not enough to be hazardous to young children (unless there is direct contact with the mouth or hands). For households with small children, the bait traps should be placed in inaccessible places or placed on the floor only at night.
On the other hand, mosquitoes can pose the real if extremely rare threat of encephalitis. The last significant series of cases in the Chicago area occurred in 1975, when 10 Chicagoans died from a disease that healthy people can fend off but preys on children, elderly and sickly individuals. Overall, 47 Illinois residents died and 578 cases were reported, including 131 in Chicago.
Two years ago, Disney World in Orlando closed its hotel swimming pools and water parks an hour before dusk each day during a countywide encephalitis alert. Golf, fishing, hayride and campfire activities were also stopped during those hours, and guests were advised to wear long-sleeved shirts and pants after dark. The public health alert succeeded, in that no cases of encephalitis were reported–in contrast to a 1990 Florida outbreak in which 230 people were infected and 11 died.
In Illinois, there is a statewide contingency plan for any potential problem with encephalitis. Mosquito abatement officials are constantly monitoring for infected bugs.
Four cases of California encephalitis (which affects mostly children) were reported in Illinois during 1998 and zero cases of St. Louis encephalitis (more common in adults). Nonetheless, the potential health threat, and perhaps more so the discomfort and itching of mosquito bites, is often enough to convince people to overdo it on the bug protection.
The most commonly used insecticide is known as deet (or n,n-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide). It was developed for the U.S. Army in 1946 and approved for consumer use by the EPA in 1957. The chemical is undoubtedly effective for preventing bites from mosquitoes and ticks (which cause Lyme disease and has been reported in some outlying counties beyond the metropolitan area). Last year, as part of a program to tighten pesticide use, the EPA reviewed all of its toxicity studies to determine whether deet is safe. The conclusion: Yes, if used correctly.
Improper use appears to pose the greater health risk, at least for the children of some “overexuberant” sprayers, Miller said.
“We hear from people who have rubbed deet all over their children’s skin surfaces, even around the eyes,” he explained. “The directions for use clearly state deet should be only used on exposed skin surfaces (and clothing), and sparingly. It should never be near the eyes or under clothing.”
Many products have deet concentrations of 20 to 50 percent, sometimes even more. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends using no more than a 10 percent concentration on children. Doctors advise against any insect sprays for infants 1 year or younger. Studies show 8 to 9 percent of any deet formula is absorbed into the body, then eliminated by the body in about 12 hours. Applying it on skin under clothing is likely to increase absorption.
Miller said deet is a bad idea for any kids too young to understand they shouldn’t touch sprayed areas of the body, then touch their mouth and lips.
Another problem: Lots of people spray deet and other insecticides right into the air, where it can be breathed and ingested.
“I see people who spray ant and roach products on a fly that is buzzing around a window,” Nixon said. “I say, for goodness sake, get out the fly swatter.”
Nixon’s job has taken him throughout the state to answer questions about keeping mosquitoes and other bugs from spoiling summer fun. He figures to be busy this summer, when a near-record crop of mosquitoes is anticipated based on a spring rainfall that was twice the usual amount in the Chicago area.
“There are two basic strategies that work the best,” Nixon said. “One is when it gets dark, that’s when mosquitoes come out and you should think about going inside. The second strategy is to have a screened-in porch, which I guess has gone out of style.”
If you must be outside, remember that mosquitoes are most attracted to large dark objects. Wearing lighter clothing can help, he said. Local mosquito abatement districts tend to intervene when there are high mosquito counts, now using a strategy that targets standing water where larvae grow rather than fogging entire neighborhoods.
Yet that doesn’t stop Scaletta from gathering his two toddlers into the house if he sees a mosquito truck in his neighborhood.
“If you see one, the best idea is to get everybody inside until the fog clears,” Scaletta said. “Kids like to chase the trucks.”
Some people swear by non-toxic products, especially those containing citronella plant oil, as a way to prevent summer insect bites. The EPA has approved citronella as an insect repellent. Yet critics say citronella, if it works at all, only lasts for minutes of protection compared to hours for deet.
One advantage to using citronella lotions, sprays or candles (which work best when several smaller ones are placed around an area) is eliminating the possibility of misuse, abuse or overuse of insecticides.
“I’m trained as a toxicologist,” Miller said. “Pesticides are toxic chemicals. There can be a place for them in your home and outdoor areas, but you always want to minimize their use.”
For example, spiders generally won’t be fazed by insecticides. The common house “running spider” forages for food indoors but doesn’t build webs. It moves around on tufts of hair, with feet that never come in contact with the floor. Spraying an insecticide is a wasted effort–and might pose a health problem.
Yet spiders can cause painful, swollen bites that can last for days and sometimes become infected. Nixon doesn’t suggest we let spiders have the run of the place.
“Some people don’t want to hear it, but controlling spiders requires some work rather than simply spraying,” Nixon said. “Things you can do include clearing dead organic matter around the house, such as decaying leaves. You can caulk cracks and crevices around the foundation and put a dehumidifier in the basement (spiders like moist environments).”
Another unpopular suggestion from health experts promises to be even less fun.
“I have two young kids who react to mosquitoes a lot more than other family members,” said Dr. Keith Berndtson, medical director at the American Whole Health clinic in Lincoln Park. “Some people are just that way. On days when the mosquitoes are bad, we just have stay indoors during the evening.”
SOME BITS ABOUT BUG BITES:
– Nearly 40 percent of Americans use insect repellent during the year, reports the Environmental Protection Agency.
– Consumers should only buy EPA-approved products, which will be indicated on the label. A registration label is another sign of a product deemed safe by the government.
– Repellents should never be used on cuts or scraped skin. Washing clothes after each repellent use is recommended.
– Antihistamines can help reduce swelling, redness and itching associated with a variety of insect bites. Benadryl is a commonly recommended oral medication for your first-aid kit, while topical creams with Benadryl and calamine lotion are good items to try first. Other anti-itch products might be useful-it’s trial and error as to what works for your skin-and even holistic health practitioners don’t object to their use.
– Some manufacturers make a combined insect repellent-sunscreen product, such as Avon Skin-So-Soft Moisturizing Skin Care Plus or All-Terrain Herbal Armor. If you use a separate sunscreen, figure the bug repellent will cut down on its protection factor by about one-third.
– Citronella oil is the most common natural choice for stopping bug invasions, and the only one approved by the EPA. Lemongrass, peppermint, cedar, red pepper and geranium oils are also used.
