early nineteen forties as Allied Troops battled the Axis powers a chemical compound that had strong insect-repellant properties was developed. Diethyltoluamide, or Deet as it is affectionately called was created by the United States Army in 1946 as a battlefield insect repellant. After military usage Deet was registered for civilian use in 1957, and became very popular for recreational use as an insect repellant. Numerous insect companies began marketing Deet as an effective insect repellant. Most people that use Deet products during outdoor activities where there were abundant mosquito populations. With the recent concern over Lyme disease, a neurological disease that is spread through the vector organism the Deer Tick; Deet is also being used to halt the spread of that illness. Since Lyme disease contractions occur around the Northeast DEET 4region of the United States 70 New York based companies currently produce 230 products that are registered with compositions of chemicals that include Deet. Currently, the United States government maintains that Deet is completely benign to humans, so long as it is utilized correctly and is sold at diluted concentrations (Cornell University Online 1999). In fact, the Environmental Protection Agency recently conducted an investigation in 1997 probing for potential health risks to the use of Deet and concluded that, “…as long as consumers follow label directions and take proper precautions, insect repellants containing Deet do not present a health concern” (EPA Online 2000). However, many case studies (that will be discussed in the case study analysis) indicate that high concentrations of the substance can cause a number of potentially hazardous side effects; and, that in addition, higher concentrations of the substance “…produce increased exposure and the risk of adverse reaction, with little or no increased benefit in protection” (Cornell University Online 1999...
