RE: [at-l] bites, ticks, knees, answers

["Mayer, Jim" <JMayer@crt.xerox.com>]

Hopeful,

I'm not an expert, but my understanding is that Permethrin is rendered
harmless almost immediately by mammals.  As a result, while it is highly
toxic to insects, spiders, fish, and perhaps (I'm not sure) reptiles, it is
essentially non-toxic to humans.  Supposedly the only side effects reported
are a very small number of skin rashes.

The reason you don't apply it to the skin is that, after your body renders
the stuff inactive, it doesn't bother anything else either.  Applying
permethrin directly to the skin is completely useless.

There are a number of products, such as the lice killer NIX, that use
permethrin and are applied directly to the skin or hair.  I've
(unfortunately) used the stuff on myself and my children with no ill
effects.  Equally unfortunately, the lice seemed to be of the resistant
variety, but that's a different story.

-- Jim

PS: Here is a note I posted recently to the PCT-L list on the same topic:

Permethrin is a synthetic insecticide related to a naturally occuring
insecticide found in chrysanthemums (pyrethrum).  I belive that it was
developed for the Department of Defence.  Here is a fact sheet I found on
the net.  I can't vouch for the site, but the information agrees with what I
had read before.

	http://www.myglobalmall.com/scs/perm.htm
and
	http://www.myglobalmall.com/scs/dod.htm

-- Jim


-----Original Message-----
From: hopefl@juno.com [mailto:hopefl@juno.com]
Sent: Thursday, July 15, 1999 5:50 PM