When you scan bottles of bug spray on your grocery store shelves, you’ll probably see four letters stand out on a number of bottles – DEET. Before you grab the spray to keep crawly creatures off your loved ones, let’s talk about what could be in this product.
What is DEET?
DEET loosely stands for diethyltoluamide and is an oily liquid used to repel insects. Many people believe it’s harmful, thinking it can get into their blood stream and affect the body’s cells. This is not the case, and in fact, it doesn’t even kill mosquitoes – just repels them.
If bug spray is used as it’s intended – i.e. applied to the skin and not ingested – the risks are extremely slim. Since many mosquitoes and other insects can carry disease, your risk of death from an illness such as West Nile Virus is actually higher than any risk associated with DEET.
Need more convincing? Check out this infographic from University of Utah Health Care:
If you have any questions about what types of bug spray or sunscreen you should buy for your family, let us know!
