2 ms·
DEET isn't especially toxic, and while it does have negative effects on some marine life, doesn't bioaccumulate. Also, DEET doesn't rely on toxicity for its eff
by meepmorp 3y ago
DEET isn't especially toxic, and while it does have negative effects on some marine life, doesn't bioaccumulate. Also, DEET doesn't rely on toxicity for its effects - it (probably) works by interfering with mosquitoes' sense of smell, and possibly also being noxious should a mosquito actually land on someone.
Which is to say, DEET is not a huge problem for the environment and any impact on the environment is not part of its effectiveness.
- ryukoposting 3y agoDEET isn't toxic, but it repels pollinators from areas where it is heavily used [1]. This isn't exclusive to DEET, every bug repellant does it to some extent, but DEET is unique because it's so damn effective. Don't get me wrong, DEET isn't bad enough to be illegal. It washes away in the rain. It doesn't foul up groundwater, and although it does get washed into rivers and streams, it really doesn't do much once it's there. I mention DEET as another example of a chemical that is bad for the environment because it's too good at its intended purpose - did not mean to indicate that it's as bad as that boat coating stuff. [1]: https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/potential-impact-of-mosquito-and-nuisance-insect-sprays-on-pollinators https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/potential-impact-of-mosquito-a...