Human Risk Associated with Long-Term Exposure to Pyrethroid Insecticides

Saillenfait, Anne-Marie; Malard, Stéphane

doi:10.1007/698_2019_427

Cited by 5 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 102 publications

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“…This is not surprising, given that household insecticide products are usually inexpensive, widely available, easy to use, highly effective in killing insects and often promoted through advertising (Schoelitsz et al., 2019). However, while modern (often pyrethroid‐based) household insecticides are commonly marketed as ‘green’ and safe due to their botanical origin and low mammalian toxicity (Eljarrat, 2020; Singh et al., 2022), recent studies have raised concerns about their safety, particularly for children, babies and pregnant women (Chen et al., 2016; Saillenfait et al., 2015; Saillenfait & Malard, 2020; Singh et al., 2022; Van Maele‐Fabry et al., 2019; Viel et al., 2017). Therefore, the widespread use of household insecticides is a source of concern for public health.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does aversion to insects affect insecticide use? An elusive answer calls for improved methods in biophobia research

Gish,

Hisano,

Soga

2024

People and Nature

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Insecticides are commonly used to control insects and other arthropods in homes (hereafter collectively referred to as ‘insects’). Although aversion to insects might encourage the use of insecticides, it is unclear whether such feelings truly influence the decision to use insecticides. We investigated the connection between feelings of disgust towards insects and the use of household insecticides. Our aim was to uncover the unexplored emotional drivers of insecticide use, in order to provide insights that might help develop new programmes to reduce exposure to household insecticides. We conducted an online survey (n = 2500) that focussed on insecticide use and disgust feelings towards six species commonly found in homes (cockroaches, ants, spiders, mosquitoes, flies and centipedes). Respondents rated their level of disgust towards these species and reported various beliefs and practices related to household insects and insect control. Approximately 70% of respondents expressed strong disgust towards these species (ratings of 6 or 7 on a scale of 1–7). More than half (53.3%) reported using aerosol insecticides in their homes in the 6 months prior to the survey. Path analyses highlighted several factors that influenced insecticide use, including infestation level, disgust intensity, lack of knowledge about arthropods and aversion to chemicals. However, the observed effect sizes were modest, particularly regarding the influence of disgust on insecticide use, which somewhat constrains our study's contribution to the understanding of the motivators driving household insecticide use. We explain how our findings potentially reflect a critical methodological limitation in the standard methods commonly used for measuring aversion in biophobia (fear of nature) research. This limitation originates from the fact that highly aversive animals often provoke extreme reactions from most participants, resulting in a very low data variation that hinders data analysis. We address this concern in the context of our findings and propose potential solutions that could pave the way for future research on how attitudes towards highly aversive animals affect individuals, society, and the relationships between people and nature. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does aversion to insects affect insecticide use? An elusive answer calls for improved methods in biophobia research

Gish,

Hisano,

Soga

2024

People and Nature

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“…Although pyrethroids are considered relatively safe to humans due to their low mammalian toxicity [ 2 , 8 , 9 ], a growing body of evidence raises concerns about the safety of pyrethroids [ 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 ] and adjuvants [ 18 ] contained in HPPs. Therefore, modern HPPs are not entirely safe, especially since they are mostly sold as high-exposure applications such as spray cans and pest bombs [ 5 ] and since pyrethroids are relatively stable and persistent in indoor environments [ 19 , 20 , 21 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does Insect Aversion Lead to Increased Household Pesticide Use?

Leibovich-Raveh

Gish

2022

Insects

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In many human societies, domestic insect pests often evoke feelings of disgust, fear and aversion. These common feelings may translate to increased use of household pesticides. No study has ever explored this possibility and consequently, efforts to mitigate public exposure to domestic pesticides typically focus on addressing knowledge gaps. We tested the hypothesis that negative emotions toward insects may motivate people to use pesticides, by interviewing 70 participants and assessing their insect aversion levels using a computerized test. Contrary to our hypothesis, we found no effect of insect aversion on pesticide use. However, we did find that personal attributes and preferences such as wishing to avoid exposure to toxic chemicals, being vegetarian and taking frequent nature walks reduced pesticide use, in addition to low infestation levels and physical attributes of the housing unit. We emphasize the importance of conducting future studies in various societies, where insect aversion and other factors may have different effects on household pesticide use. Such studies may provide culture-specific insights that could foster the development of next-generation urban IPM (Integrated Pest Management) public education programs, which will address not only knowledge gaps, but also emotional aspects and personal attributes that lead to unnecessary or excessive use of household pesticides.

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