# Less bug bites, lower IQ: DEET is a neurotoxin **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 7, 2009, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/less-bug-bites-lower-iq-deet-is-a-neurotoxin/505676 "2009-08-07T18:59:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2009, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/less-bug-bites-lower-iq-deet-is-a-neurotoxin/505676/1 "2009-08-07T18:59:44Z")
[Sez Science Daily](http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090804193230.htm) > [@](#): > > The active ingredient in many insect repellents, deet, has been found to be toxic to the central nervous system. Researchers say that more investigations are urgently needed to confirm or dismiss any potential neurotoxicity to humans, especially when deet-based repellents are used in combination with other neurotoxic insecticides. ---
**Author:** ![black\_rabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f19dbf/32.png) [@black\_rabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/black_rabbit)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2009, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/less-bug-bites-lower-iq-deet-is-a-neurotoxin/505676/2 "2009-08-07T19:46:49Z")
_Fewer_ bug bites. Lay off the OFF!. ---
**Author:** ![ShelliBean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f9ae1b/32.png) [@ShelliBean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShelliBean)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2009, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/less-bug-bites-lower-iq-deet-is-a-neurotoxin/505676/3 "2009-08-07T19:57:00Z")
I don’t give a shit. Mosquitos eat me alive. I’m going to bathe in the stuff because some of the mosquitos the other night are so large they had me confused as to whether they were trying to suck my blood or mug me. You could actually put me in a magical time machine that shows my future drooling on myself and sitting in pee all day due to the brain damage caused by DEET. I’m still probably going to put it on. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2009, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/less-bug-bites-lower-iq-deet-is-a-neurotoxin/505676/4 "2009-08-07T20:05:57Z")
> [@black\_rabbit](#): > > _Fewer_ bug bites. It was an alliterative choice. Perhaps I should’ve gone with “Fewer bug bites, feebler mind.” 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2009, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/less-bug-bites-lower-iq-deet-is-a-neurotoxin/505676/5 "2009-08-07T20:28:45Z")
> [@black\_rabbit](#): > > _Fewer_ bug bites. Lay off the OFF!. Fuck OFF! ---
**Author:** ![torie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/77aa72/32.png) [@torie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/torie)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2009, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/less-bug-bites-lower-iq-deet-is-a-neurotoxin/505676/6 "2009-08-07T20:46:12Z")
> [@Joe Frickin Friday](#): > > Fuck OFF! There’s absolutely no reason I should have found that so funny. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2009, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/less-bug-bites-lower-iq-deet-is-a-neurotoxin/505676/7 "2009-08-07T21:04:53Z")
“When it comes to going rigid, you can’t beat _OFF_!” ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2009, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/less-bug-bites-lower-iq-deet-is-a-neurotoxin/505676/8 "2009-08-07T21:13:30Z")
Heck, I’ll trade a few IQ points for some peace from the little vampires. I’ve got enough to spare. Hate hate hate hate hatehatehatehatehatehate mosquitoes ---
**Author:** ![SanibelMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@SanibelMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanibelMan)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2009, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/less-bug-bites-lower-iq-deet-is-a-neurotoxin/505676/9 "2009-08-07T21:50:07Z")
All those FARK stories about Florida suddenly make sense. ---
**Author:** ![MacTech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MacTech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacTech)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2009, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/less-bug-bites-lower-iq-deet-is-a-neurotoxin/505676/10 "2009-08-07T21:57:26Z")
Sadly enough, deet am de only stuff do work here, but me think it not affe,affffe,hurt me brains… seriously though, we have a severe problem with the little winged vampires, we have to deal with not just the standard mosquitoes, but black flies, deerflies, horseflies, mooseflies, and the latest flying bloodsucker (no, not politicians, we always have had problems with those), the “winter mosquito” take a normal sized mosquito, and hit it with a “1920’s style growth ray” double it’s size, and make it’s proboscis even sharper and more painful, that’s the winter mosquito, it literally is, no exaggeration, at least double the size of the normal sized 'skeeter, it’s the same overall length as a horsefly, but it’s a mosquito they only started showing up in our area last year, no idea where they blew in from the only repellent that works worth a damn here is Ben’s 100 (99.5% DEET), Naturapel works…for about five minutes and then it’s time to reapply ---
**Author:** ![Helen\_Jewett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/bcef8e/32.png) [@Helen\_Jewett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helen_Jewett)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2009, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/less-bug-bites-lower-iq-deet-is-a-neurotoxin/505676/11 "2009-08-07T21:58:19Z")
I suppose I should be grateful I was always allergic to it, but after years and years of trying to work as a camp counselor with only ineffective citrus sprays, I think I would’ve been okay with a little brain damage. ---
**Author:** ![PatriotGrrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9dc877/32.png) [@PatriotGrrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatriotGrrrl)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2009, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/less-bug-bites-lower-iq-deet-is-a-neurotoxin/505676/12 "2009-08-08T01:24:47Z")
> [@MacTech](#): > > take a normal sized mosquito, and hit it with a “1920’s style growth ray” double it’s size, and make it’s proboscis even sharper and more painful, that’s the winter mosquito, it literally is, no exaggeration, at least double the size of the normal sized 'skeeter, it’s the same overall length as a horsefly, but it’s a mosquito > > they only started showing up in our area last year, no idea where they blew in from Same here! This has nothing to do with how many of them there are of how much I hate them - they really are much bigger this year. I really do think it’s a new species or something. They’re freakin’ huge! ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2009, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/less-bug-bites-lower-iq-deet-is-a-neurotoxin/505676/13 "2009-08-08T01:50:05Z")
So… DEET _may_ be neurotoxic in humans… On the other hand, we KNOW for a FACT that mosquitoes carry West Nile Virus and ticks carry Lyme Disease. Just for starters. (There are other disease insect vermin can pass on, too) Those can freaking KILL you, which is more than a little hard on your neurons, not to mention the rest of your corpse. Seems to me there’s a trade-off here, a potential to balance one risk against another. ---
**Author:** ![elelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f0a364/32.png) [@elelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elelle)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2009, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/less-bug-bites-lower-iq-deet-is-a-neurotoxin/505676/14 "2009-08-08T01:51:45Z")
A fairly simple solution would be: put an essential oil bug repellent on your skin, and then, spray the Deet on your external clothing, especially boots and points of entry, socks and pants. That’s what I generally do, but didn’t last week, so now I got Camp Chiggerama on me bunghole. You just can’t itch humilliating, or deep, enough. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2009, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/less-bug-bites-lower-iq-deet-is-a-neurotoxin/505676/15 "2009-08-08T01:55:18Z")
So… DEET _may_ be neurotoxic in humans… On the other hand, we KNOW for a FACT that mosquitoes carry West Nile Virus and ticks carry Lyme Disease. Just for starters. (There are other disease insect vermin can pass on, too) Those can freaking KILL you, which is more than a little hard on your neurons, not to mention the rest of your corpse. Seems to me there’s a trade-off here, a potential to balance one risk against another. ---
**Author:** ![MacTech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MacTech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacTech)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2009, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/less-bug-bites-lower-iq-deet-is-a-neurotoxin/505676/16 "2009-08-08T02:18:53Z")
It also causes Temporal-Delayed Doublepostitus… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2009, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/less-bug-bites-lower-iq-deet-is-a-neurotoxin/505676/17 "2009-08-08T02:24:20Z")
HOW in the heck did THAT happen? Very strange… must be the chemicals causing mass hallucinations… ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2009, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/less-bug-bites-lower-iq-deet-is-a-neurotoxin/505676/18 "2009-08-08T02:30:44Z")
“Avoid spraying directly on brain.” ---
**Author:** ![MacTech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MacTech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacTech)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2009, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/less-bug-bites-lower-iq-deet-is-a-neurotoxin/505676/19 "2009-08-08T02:33:30Z")
I wonder if DEET, sprayed directly on the brain, would repel “O’Bannon-type” Zombies (Return of the Living Dead series) Send More DEET! ---
**Author:** ![C3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/c3/32/3108_2.png) [@C3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C3)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2009, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/less-bug-bites-lower-iq-deet-is-a-neurotoxin/505676/20 "2009-08-08T02:40:58Z")
We use [BioUD](http://www.homs.com/products/bioud%C2%AE_bioud%C2%AE-clothing-treatment--insect-repellent-16.9-oz-trigger-spray.html), which is made from an [extract from tomatoes](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2-Undecanone). [It’s been shown](http://www.bioud.com/Documents/HOMSfinalreport2006.pdf) to be as effective as DEET in the short term and more effective than DEET for longer periods of time. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/less-bug-bites-lower-iq-deet-is-a-neurotoxin/505676.md?page=2)