| Dear
EarthTalk: Is it true that the DEET used in
most mosquito repellents is toxic? If so what problems does
it cause? And what are some non-toxic alternatives for keeping
mosquitoes at bay?
-- Tom Pollack, Oakland, CA
| |
There's
no need to go this far! A number of DEET-free, non-toxic,
plant-based mosquito repellents are now on the market.
© Getty Images |
DEET
is commonly known as the king of mosquito repellents, though
not everyone is keen to slather it on their skin. A study
conducted in the late 1980s on Everglades National Park
employees to determine the effects of DEET found that a
full one-quarter of the subjects studied experienced negative
health effects that they blamed on exposure to the chemical.
Effects included rashes, skin irritation, numb or burning
lips, nausea, headaches, dizziness and difficulty concentrating.
Duke
University pharmacologist Mohamed Abou-Donia, in studies
on rats, found that frequent and prolonged DEET exposure
led to diffuse brain cell death and behavioral changes,
and concluded that humans should stay away from products
containing it. But other studies have shown that while a
few people have sensitivity to DEET applications, most are
unaffected when they use DEET products on a sporadic basis
according to the instructions on the label.
The
upside of DEET is that it is very effective. A 2002 study
published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that
DEET-based repellents provided the most complete and longest
lasting protection against mosquitoes. Researchers found
that a formulation containing 23.8 percent DEET completely
protected study participants for upwards of 300 minutes,
while a soybean-oil-based product only worked for 95 minutes.
The effectiveness of several other botanical-based repellents
lasted less than 20 minutes.
But
a number of new concentrations of botanical repellents that
have hit the market since are reportedly better than ever.
In 2005, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) granted
approval to two healthier alternatives to DEET—picaridin
and oil of lemon eucalyptus—for protection from mosquitoes.
Picaridin, long used to repel mosquitoes in other parts
of the world, is now available in the U.S. under the Cutter
Advanced brand name. Oil of lemon eucalyptus, which is derived
from eucalyptus leaves and is the only plant-based active
ingredient for insect repellents approved by the CDC, is
available in several different forms, including Repel Lemon
Eucalyptus, OFF! Botanicals, and Fight Bite Plant-Based
Insect Repellent.
Some
other good choices, according to the nonprofit National
Coalition against the Misuse of Pesticides, include products
containing geraniol (MosquitoGuard or Bite Stop), citronella
(Natrapel), herbal extracts (Beat It Bug Buster) or essential
oils (All Terrain). The group also gives high marks to oil
of lemon eucalyptus, such as that found in Repel’s
Lemon Eucalyptus Insect Repellent.
Another
leading nonprofit, Pesticide Action Network North America
(PANNA), likes Herbal Armor, Buzz Away and Green Ban, each
containing citronella and peppermint as well as various
essential oils (cedar wood, lemongrass, etc.). PANNA also
lauds Bite Blocker, a blend of soybeans and coconut oils
that provides four to eight hours of protection and, unlike
many other brands, is safe to use on kids.
CONTACTS:
“Comparative
Efficacy of Insect Repellents against Mosquito Bites”;
National
Coalition Against the Misuse of Pesticides (NCAMP);
Pesticide
Action Network North America.
Dear
EarthTalk: I want to offer my employees a 401(k)
plan that is socially and environmentally responsible. Are
there such plans and, if so, where do I look?
-- CJ Hughes, Queens, NY
| |
Responding
largely to employee demand, more and more companies
are now offering greener options for 401(k) retirement
investment accounts.
© Getty Images |
Even though socially
responsible investing (SRI) has been around for decades,
only recently have some companies begun to offer their employees
greener options for 401(k) retirement investment accounts.
According to
Rona Fried of SustainableBusiness.com, SRI options for retirement
plans are still only offered to about 20 percent of employees,
but that’s changing fast. One survey found that more
than two-thirds of employees want such choices. And a 2007
survey by the Social Investment Forum found that 60 percent
of benefit plan sponsors polled plan to include SRI options
for retirement funds by 2010.
Retirement accounts
are big business in the U.S.: Some 50 million Americans
have invested $2.5 trillion in 401(k) plans to date. With
so few SRI options out there now and employees eager to
make their savings work for the environment, greener 401(k)
plans are sure to take a bigger and bigger slice of the
pie moving forward. “It’s a matter of simple
supply and demand,” says Paul Hilton of Calvert Funds,
which currently offers one SRI retirement fund option but
plans to add two more within the next couple of years. “Corporations
are responding to the increasing desire of Americans to
invest with their values.”
Right now health
care and government agencies are those most likely to include
an SRI option for employees’ retirement accounts,
but a handful of large companies have gotten in on the act
as well. For instance, chipmaker Intel began offering its
employees an SRI retirement plan option eight years ago.
“In 2000,
we were trying to create a culture of corporate social responsibility
and it made sense for us to practice what we preach by including
this option in our retirement plan,” says Dave Stangis,
Intel’s director of corporate responsibility. “In
addition, Intel itself is a top holding in many SRI mutual
funds and we wanted to reinforce that with our employees.
It’s a way for us to be a role model.”
Still, most plans
give employees only a limited number of funds to choose
from, often from Calvert and another SRI mutual fund leader,
Domini. Both firms ply the three main tenets of SRI: (1)
rigorous research to assess the social and environmental
integrity of companies being considered for inclusion in
an investment portfolio; (2) using investors’ positions
as stockholders (i.e. owners) of companies invested in to
advocate for good corporate citizenship (often through the
introduction of corporate resolutions); and (3) channeling
affordable credit to needy communities ill-served by traditional
lenders to rebuild neighborhoods and create jobs. SRI funds
are also increasingly making “early stage” investments
in new companies on the cutting edge of environmental progress,
such as alternative energy companies.
In order to help
diversify the marketplace for SRI retirement plans, consultant
Rob Thomas started Social(k) in 2005 to offer companies
a full array of SRI options for their 401(k) plans. Social(k)
offers 140 different SRI funds from which employees at participating
companies can choose. Thomas’s goal is to offer as
many funds as possible and become the one-stop shop for
retirement investing. Companies can offer either Social(k)
alone, or as a secondary option alongside an existing 401(k)
plan.
CONTACTS:
SustainableBusiness.com;
Calvert
Funds; Domini
Social Investments; Social(k). |
