Household insecticide products

The increasing awareness and worsening situation of household pest problems and the improved socioeconomic conditions in many tropical developing countries have resulted in the increased demand and use of household insecticide products. 

Although there are existing but limited national specifications for some of these products, there are no internationally agreed guideline 

The Committee considered the draft guidelines and comments received by WHO and recommended that, with the following amendments, they should be accepted as the WHO guideline specifications for household insecticide products  

The Committee agreed that the new harmonized flammability test under development by the United Nations Committee of Experts on the Transport of Dangerous Goods should be used when available. The Committee also noted that further collaborative work is required for the determination of droplet size for aerosol products. In addition, the Committee decided that differentiation between residual and space sprays should be maintained. 

The storage stability of a pesticide formulation depends on the intrinsic stability of the active ingredient, the formulation and the protective function of the packing material. 

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Guideline specifications for household insecticide products — mosquito coils, vaporizing mats, liquid vaporizers and aerosols, were drafted at a WHO informal consultation, held in Geneva from 3 to 6 February 1998 (6). The draft guidelines have been distributed to ministries of health and national registration authorities for comments and suggestions. 

Personal protection measures to prevent mosquito bites are actively used by householders. In many developed and medium-income countries in the Region, the use of household insecticide products constituted a major component of the total public health use of pesticides. The mosquito coil is used widely, followed by mats, aerosols and liquid vaporizers. The use of mosquito coils has increased every year from 1995 to 1997 China is the major user. Data indicate that the biggest market for household insecticide products is China, where in 1998 more than 10000 million units of household insecticide products were used. 

Draft guideline specifications for household insecticide products report of the WHO informal consultation 3-6 February 1998, WHO, Geneva. Geneva, World Health Organization, 1998 (unpublished document CTD/ WHOPES/IC/98.3 available on request from Communicable Disease Control, Prevention and Eradication, World Health Organization, 1211 Geneva 27, Switzerland). 

World Health Organization, Gnidelines for efficacy testing of household insecticide products. Mosquito cods, vaporizer mats, liquid vaporizers, ambient emanators and aerosols, WHO Pesticide Evaluation Seheme, WHO/HTM/NTDAVHOPES/2009.3., 2009. 

WHO. Draft guideline specifications for household insecticide products—Mosquito coils, vaporising mats, liquid vaporisers, aerosols. Report of the WHO Informal Consultation, 3-6 February 1998. Geneva, World Health Organisation, 1998. 

Bifenthrin is the active ingredient in an insecticide sold for home use. Bifenthrin alone is not toxic to rodent nerve cells at 10 3 M concentration. A household use product containing bifenthrin, however, was shown to be neurotoxic at concentrations of 10 6 and 10 7 MJ341 The authors conclude that the enhanced toxicity of bifenthrin is attributable to the inert additives in the commercial product. 

Our experience, particularly with aerosol household insecticides, also shows most users to be hunters in that c ha sin and spraying an insect is quite common. The expectation is to shoot down or stop the offending insect and the more quickly this occurs the better the product is judged- Even today, in the era of more awareness of the environment, this mode of action and expectation still seems to persist. 

Sales Directly into Wholesale and Retail Trade Channels. Comparatively few chemical products are sold directly into wholesale or retail trade channels. A few examples are household insecticides, some fertilizers, soil conditioners, antifreezes, and cellulose sponges. 

Malaria is the most important vector borne disease for the region of Western Pacific, followed by dengue. It is a great concern that 107 min. people are living at risk of malaria in this region. Basic method for control is the insecticide treatment of mosquito nests, mainly with pyrethroids. The use of household insecticides is the major component of public health use of pesticides in the developed countries from the region. The biggest market of these products is China. 

Different t)q)es of industries can make use of oleoresins from pines pharmaceutical and perfume industries, food additives, and other chemical industries (household cleaning products, paints, inks, varnishes, rubber, insecticides, aromatherapy). These various uses are due to their pleasant fragrance [140,141], antimicrobial activity, among various other physical and biological properties. Examples of different terpenes obtained from pine oleoresin and their importance in distinct industrial segments are listed in Table 136.4. 

The outline of the environmental health business is shown in Table I. This field includes indoor consumer products such as household insecticides, outdoor consumer products such as those for pest control, and public-health related products for mosquito abatement and professional vector control. All these products are required to have superior safety characteristics. The size of the world market for the environmental health business in terms of retail sales is also shown in Table I. The market size is estimated to be roughly 7.2 billion dollars overall, of which about 70%, or 5.0 billion dollars, represents the indoor use insecticide market. The size of the outdoor use insecticide and public health insecticide markets is 1.4 billion and 800 million dollars, respectively. 

More effective and safer insecticides are needed, in spite of the extensive progress made in recent years. The chemist should familiarize himself with the needs in the agricultural, storage, household, livestock, and industrial fields. The weak and strong points of the products in use should be understood. Some of the commonly used products need better formulations, or better methods of application with the use of more effective supplements. Better products should replace some of those now in use. Statistical evidence of ample potential should be available before work on a problem is begun. 

Pyrethroids are used primarily for the control of household and agricultural insect pests, and secondarily in industrial, stored product, and veterinary applications. They are especially advantageous for use in northern climates because their toxicity is enhanced at low temperatures (Smith and Stratton 1986). Synthetic pyrethroid insecticides, including fenvalerate, are used as alternatives... 

Mrusek K, Naumann K, Sonneck R (1995) NAK 4455 (transfluthrin) a fast-acting insecticide for use in household and hygiene products. Pflanzenschutznachr, Bayer 48(special edn.) 1 18... 

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