Deet, de de de deet deet, de de deet deet de de deet.
The DEET alarmism story you didn’t see in the newspaper
[F]or people who use DEET in the recommended manner, there are simply no problems, and the new study does nothing to change that, Lorin said. Indeed, after a review of published and unpublished literature of DEET’s toxicity in 2003, the American Academy of Pediatrician raised the recommended level of DEET concentration in repellents used on children to 30 percent from 10 percent, and lowered the minimum age for use from 2 year to 2 months.
In other words, the body of scientific literature suggested DEET was considerably safer than previously believed.
On side note, I had a tough time finding anything with 25% DEET in it last summer; most of the “family” sprays were 7%. I happened across some of the tougher stuff this spring and snapped up two bottles. And I hardly ever hallucinate.
You can almost always find higher concentration products at Wal-Mart in the sporting goods section and in the section with the other repellents in the “grocery” section. These provide a longer protection time before you need to reapply. I work for the DEET Education Program, Washington, DC. Glad to see you cut through the nonsense on the French study. Please see http://www.deetonline.org for more information on that from the BBC and others who recognized the flaws and the “non-news.” Contact us anytime at 800-789-3300 with repellent questions. We deal with all of them, not just DEET.