Is DEET Safe?

The EPA’s position is that normal use does not present a health concern. It says that after completing a comprehensive reassessment of DEET, it concluded that insect repellents containing DEET do not present a health concern, and that based on extensive toxicity testing it believes the normal use of DEET does not present a health concern to the general population. Its 2014 interim review identified no risks of concern to human health, non-target species or the environment.

DEET does not kill insects. The EPA says it works by making it hard for biting bugs to smell us, that it was developed by the US Army in 1946 and registered for use by the general public in 1957, and that an estimated one-third of the US population uses it every year. Studies in EPA’s database indicate DEET repels ticks for about two to ten hours and mosquitoes for two to twelve hours, depending on the percentage of DEET in the product, and products registered for skin contain from 5 to 99 percent DEET.

The EPA says DEET labels direct users to use just enough repellent to cover exposed skin or clothing, to wash treated skin with soap and water after returning indoors, and, for sprays, to spray on the hands first and rub it on the face rather than spraying the face directly. It says a final decision in DEET’s registration review will come only after it completes an endocrine disruptor screening, and that DEET is lower on the priority list than chemicals currently being tested. If you suspect a reaction, it advises stopping use, washing treated skin, and calling a poison control center or physician.