Topical Use of DEET Insect Repellent as a Cause of Severe Encephalopathy in a Healthy Adult Male

Insect repellents: Historical perspectives and new developments

“…Buzz Off Insect Shield (Buzz Off Insect Shield, LLC, Greensboro, NC), which uses permethrin as its active ingredient, is the first and only IR apparel registered by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This line of apparel has shown to be effective for up to 25 washings, but loses its efficacy with dry cleaning, which removes the active ingredient.…”

Mosquito repellents and superwarfarin rodenticides – are they really toxic in children?

“…Most case reports of toxicity are seen in adults with ingestion or excessive dermal application of the chemical. Reported toxic effects include irritability, weakness, ataxias, tremors, confusion, agitation, slurred speech, athetosis, hypotension, seizures and coma [7][8][9]. Dermal effects include pruritus, urticaria, bullous eruption, angioedema and conjunctival irritation.…”

Deet

“…A case of acute encephalopathy in a previously healthy adult was reported in association with the repeated application of insect repellants containing DEET (Hampers et al, 1999). In this case, the individual presented to an emergency department with acute onset of confusion and combativeness.…”