Do you use permethrin?

[cneill13]

To each his own but I think you all are absolutely nuts to use this stuff. Every time I read about it, I think of Monsanto Roundup Weed killer. Its safe until it is proved wrong. And by then it means the Big C.

In its raw form, permethrin will kill a cat. But is it safe for a human? Why? Because it gets too watered down to kill?

And to think you are soaking your clothes and other things in this poison.

I am incredulous of how trusting people are to a company's claims rather than just using common sense.

[OneClick]

To each his own but I think you all are absolutely nuts to use this stuff. Every time I read about it, I think of Monsanto Roundup Weed killer. Its safe until it is proved wrong. And by then it means the Big C.

In its raw form, permethrin will kill a cat. But is it safe for a human? Why? Because it gets too watered down to kill?

And to think you are soaking your clothes and other things in this poison.

I am incredulous of how trusting people are to a company's claims rather than just using common sense.

But They said it was safe. I always trust They.

Could be another DDT. In 20 years we'll find out it causes Alzheimers, pancreatic cancer, depression, liver failure, take your pick.

It literally did ZERO for me this past weekend. So sometimes I wonder is it worth the hassle, and possible risk? Or maybe the bugs would have been 20x worse without it? I'll never know.

No one can really say "it worked great for me". Compared to what? Even with your friend 5' away, she/he could just simply be more delicious to those mosquitoes with or without repellant. Comparison in a lab? I never buy into those. Conditions change, environments can vary by a matter of feet. Weather, and so on.

[FLTurtle]

But They said it was safe. I always trust They.

Could be another DDT. In 20 years we'll find out it causes Alzheimers, pancreatic cancer, depression, liver failure, take your pick.

It literally did ZERO for me this past weekend. So sometimes I wonder is it worth the hassle, and possible risk? Or maybe the bugs would have been 20x worse without it? I'll never know.

No one can really say "it worked great for me". Compared to what? Even with your friend 5' away, she/he could just simply be more delicious to those mosquitoes with or without repellant. Comparison in a lab? I never buy into those. Conditions change, environments can vary by a matter of feet. Weather, and so on.

This is me. My camping buddy loves bringing me along. He can run around in shorts all day and night, no skeeters. Me? I gotta put on a burqa. Now, when it comes to fire ants...he finds them every single time. Barefoot.

[QFT]

To each his own but I think you all are absolutely nuts to use this stuff. Every time I read about it, I think of Monsanto Roundup Weed killer. Its safe until it is proved wrong. And by then it means the Big C.

In its raw form, permethrin will kill a cat. But is it safe for a human? Why? Because it gets too watered down to kill?

And to think you are soaking your clothes and other things in this poison.

I am incredulous of how trusting people are to a company's claims rather than just using common sense.

I don't disagree, but can you say that deet/picaridin etc is any better, being applied wet directly to your skin?

[OneClick]

I don't disagree, but can you say that deet/picaridin etc is any better, being applied wet directly to your skin?

That's another thing to consider. Not that getting West Nile is better...but you have to wonder.

Like this latest thing about sunscreen being absorbed into your blood: https://time.com/5583991/sunscreen-i...bsorbed-blood/

“When sunscreens were first evaluated by the FDA back in the ’70s, we all thought the ingredients sat on the surface of the skin and didn’t do anything,”

Well, how stupid can you be? I'm not saying everything you rub on gets absorbed (it's doesn't), but when you soak your skin with anything, you shouldn't assume it's 100% safe and only staying on the outside.

Again, not saying that getting a nasty sunburn is a better alternative.

I don't use deet, and I only apply picaridin at the last moment possible (when I'm sure mosquitoes are out and there's no other way)

p.s. I was really disappointed in the permethrin last weekend. At one point I just watched the ticks on my pants once I zipped the leg sections back on. They crawled around and couldn't care less about the permethrin. I don't know how long it takes for them to die or fall off...but they didn't after 5 minutes. That's a long time to have a nasty blood-sucking bug on you. Plenty of time for them to crawl up a sock and onto your skin.

[<-Pointer]

To each his own but I think you all are absolutely nuts to use this stuff. Every time I read about it, I think of Monsanto Roundup Weed killer. Its safe until it is proved wrong. And by then it means the Big C.

In its raw form, permethrin will kill a cat. But is it safe for a human? Why? Because it gets too watered down to kill?

And to think you are soaking your clothes and other things in this poison.

I am incredulous of how trusting people are to a company's claims rather than just using common sense.

The question is how much do you weigh an unknown risk that someday some researcher finds a hazard in the use of permethrin versus the very well identified and quantifiable risk of lyme disease? Permethrin has been around since 1973. Don't you think some trial lawyers would be suing every company that ever had anything to do with permethrin if there was any, even trivial, correlation of harm?

Yes, I think that it makes perfect sense that a large dose can kill a cat but be safe for use on people in in smaller doses. The first principle of toxicology is that it's the dose that makes the poison. For example, oxygen is lethal to humans in high enough doses but perfectly safe to breath in normal atmospheric density.

I also don't believe that just because the lawyers are now suing Round Up that there is any actual science behind that claim either. Lawyers are not scientists. They just need to find 12 stupid people and enough credible sounding junk science and they're rich.

[OneClick]

I pulled into my garage last night and opened the car door....BAM!!! Overpowering odor of permethrin. I had some shirts and pants hanging out there to air out after treating. Bugs just won't go away. Neither will the heat. Thanks a lot [president name of your choice here or whoever you feel like blaming]. Please stop climate changing me.

[BradA72]

I won’t use it, to many unknowns. Other ways to keep bugs at bay.

[NStanley]

To each his own but I think you all are absolutely nuts to use this stuff. Every time I read about it, I think of Monsanto Roundup Weed killer. Its safe until it is proved wrong. And by then it means the Big C.

In its raw form, permethrin will kill a cat. But is it safe for a human? Why? Because it gets too watered down to kill?

And to think you are soaking your clothes and other things in this poison.

I am incredulous of how trusting people are to a company's claims rather than just using common sense.

As far as I know it's not recommended to put it on skin - http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/PermGen.html. And according to this https://phpa.health.maryland.gov/IDE...permethrin.pdf the short term effects are eye, skin, nose, throat irritation and breathing problems... As for the long-term effects, I don't know but I'm agree with you that it's safe until proved wrong. Here's mosquito control advice which I use by the way, that's usually enough for home and hiking.

[Dublinlin]

The permethrin binds to the fibers of the fabric as it dries. Once DRIED onto the fabric is causes no problems to cats and I’m trusting not to people either.

Interestingly, it IS used in lotion or cream form (brand name Elimite) for full body overnight application for humans for scabies treatment. (I’m a nurse and have seen it used as such.) That said, I still would not get it on my skin when treating gear. But once it has dried and bonded to the fabric, I have no qualms. I’d sure rather risk Permethrin on my clothes than mosquitos and hordes of ticks. But HYOH.

(One Click, I’m surprised at the poor results you’ve had with permethrin. I live in a part of the country that is heavily tick infested (heavily wooded Ozarks) and nothing crawls onto me when I’m wearing permethrin treated socks, pants, and long sleeved shirt. Not the big ones or (worse) the swarming herds of microscopically small seed ticks.)

(I even periodically treat my work scrubs because my profession does sometimes bring me in contact with environments that are infested with bed bugs or patients covered in scabies...stuff I don’t want to risk allowing to invisibly hitch-hike on my scrubs back to my own home and family.)