DEET (N, N-diethyl-meta-toluamide) was developed by the U.S.
Department of Agriculture for the Army in 1946. While the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) has found that the normal use
of DEET does not present a health concern to the general population, the
use of products containing DEET has been associated with rashes,
swelling, itching, eye irritation, and, less frequently, slurred speech,
confusion, and seizures. Products with high concentrations of DEET are
considered particularly hazardous to children, and U.S. EPA no longer
allows the label of a product containing DEET to claim that the product
is safe for children. Recent research at Duke University with rats
showed that frequent and prolonged use of DEET caused brain-cell death
and behavioral changes in the animals.
Roe discovered the insect-repellent capacity of tomatoes by
accident. "I was listening to a scientific presentation about
protein mimics as a diet pill for the control of mosquito larvae,"
he said. He realized that the compounds being discussed were similar to
a compound found in wild tomatoes. Years earlier, he and another
scientist had studied the compound, which apparently is part of the
tomato's natural defenses against insects, to see if it might be
used to control worms that eat tomatoes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChE6g0N8cI8
The compound is already used to make cosmetics, so its toxicity has
been studied. "What this means is that the toxicology has been
done, which is a big step toward commercialization," Roe said.
"It's found in tomatoes, it's natural, it can be obtained
organically, it's safe, and it's at least as effective as
DEET, all features that the public would want for a new-generation
insect repellent."
With concern rising about West Nile virus and Lyme disease, the
discovery of the new insect repellent is timely. The university has
licensed the right to produce the substance as an insect repellent to
Insect Biotechnology, Inc., a Durham company that specializes in
developing and marketing biochemical insecticides. The cost of producing
the repellent is expected to be competitive with the production costs of
DEET. Insect Biotechnology has applied to U.S. EPA for approval of the
insect repellent for use in several products and hopes that the new
product, called IBI-246, will win approval by the end of the year. On
the scale used by U.S. EPA to gauge toxicity, IBI-246 is considered
slightly safer than DEET.
http://www.thefreelibrary.com/A+mosquito+repellent+from+tomatoes--the+alternative+to+DEET%3F+(EH...-a093916923
