DEET safety concerns raised, but must be weighed against disease risk

摘要

Doubt has been cast over the safety of the widely used insect repellent N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide (DEET), after a study has shown that the chemical inhibits cholinesterase activity in vitro in both insect and mammalian cells. The researchers also found that DEET, in combination with the cholinesterase inhibitor pyridostigmine, led to neurobehav-ioural deficits and alterations in acetylcholinesterase and nicotinic receptors in rats.