EiR Blog

As I was browsing my Google Alerts emails covering multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) yesterday I came across what looked like a very interesting article in the New York Times which looked like it would be useful for those suffering from MCS and environmental illness (EI). The article is titled 'An Environmentally Friendly Mosquito Repellent?' so I thought, great, this sounds like great news and perfect material for my blog tomorrow. Unfortuately when I actually read the article this morning it was not what I was expecting at all. First off, the author talks in considerable length about how during her childhood in New Jersey she would chase farm machinery spraying the highly toxic pesticide DDT (note pesticide, as in kills pests, it is not an insect repellant), breathing it in and having her clothes and skin covered in it. The fact that as far as she knows her expsoure to DDT in this way...

Following on from my previous blog about a NY Times article that didn't live up to its promise of offering a safe way to combat mosquitos I wanted to provide some genuine advice on non-toxic insect repellants and techniques for avoiding the troublesome pests. After a quick internet search I came across a fantastic article on About.com written by Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D., the site's chemistry guide. Helmenstine explains that mosquitos use complex mechanisms to detect hosts so the most effective way escape becoming such a host is to avoid things that attract them and also use truly non-toxic repellants at the same time.   What do Mosquitos Find Attractive? Carbon Dioxide - As mentioned in my previous blog, mosquitos find hosts by following their trail of exhaled carbon dioxide (CO2). You give off more CO2 when you are hot or have been exercising so either avoid being outside or...