K-Tip test: When mosquito repellent jeopardises your health
5.6.2024
Translation: machine translated
K-Tipp and "Kassensturz" have had anti-mosquito sprays tested in the laboratory. I have rarely been so disillusioned by the results: although most products work, you are putting your child's health at risk. Only one product worked and is not dangerous.
As a child, I was literally eaten by mosquitoes, it was no fun. I just had sweet blood, the adults would say. Today I know that's rubbish. I hardly ever get bitten by mosquitoes anymore. I have my wife and daughter to thank for that, as these bloodthirsty, buzzing pests obviously regard them as more attractive victims.
Almost all mosquito sprays work
The good news: eight of the ten mosquito sprays tested work. How long they do so varies. While the classic mosquito repellent "Anti Brumm Forte", for example, received the best test score with an effect lasting more than seven hours, you have to spray yourself again earlier with the other products to avoid being bitten.
According to the K-Tipp test, two mosquito sprays, including the sensitive insect repellent from Kik, have an insufficient duration of effect. Despite this, this spray still landed on the test podium. How can that be?
Almost all mosquito sprays are risky
The bad news: eight of the ten mosquito sprays tested are a health risk for children. They contain allergenic, probably carcinogenic and fertility-damaging fragrances. In "Anti Brumm Forte", for example, the laboratory detected five highly allergenic substances. Therefore, despite having the longest duration of effect in the tested product, it was only just "sufficient".
The K-Tipp gave six mosquito sprays, and therefore more than half of the test products, an overall rating of "Poor" due to potentially harmful fragrances. Even or especially insect repellents based on natural active ingredients are not spared.
Natural is not automatically good
Even if you use "natural" mosquito repellent, the health risk is not averted. Natural molecules do have the advantage of being biodegradable. "But that doesn't mean that they are good for humans," says Pie Müller from the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute. After all, most toxins are of natural origin.
Speaking of toxins: the laboratory even discovered banned fragrances in two of the mosquito sprays tested: Lyral is the most aggressive allergenic fragrance. According to the European Chemicals Agency, Lilial in turn can cause infertility and harm the child in the womb. Martec Handels AG is responsible for both faulty mosquito sprays. At the request of the consumer protection organisation, it announced that it would refrain from using the banned fragrances in future.
This bug spray contains banned substances. Or contained
Trust is good, control is better
The question arises as to how it can be that mosquito sprays are being sold with banned ingredients. Insect sprays are considered biocidal products subject to authorisation. If one or more ingredients have been banned since authorisation, the manufacturer is actually obliged to adapt their product accordingly. If they fail to do so and no-one checks, it appears that consumer protection has to point the finger first, as the mosquito spray test shows by way of example. This is because the Federal Office of Public Health only takes action after receiving an enquiry from K-Tipp. It is now clarifying whether the manufacturers must remove their sprays from the market immediately or whether it will grant them a grace period.
The strict assessment
Except for the two mosquito sprays with the banned substances, all the products tested are legally available. No limit value was exceeded for the sensitive ingredients. Andreas Schildknecht, head of testing at K-Tipp, explains in "Kassensturz" why almost all test products still failed: "Mosquito sprays are usually applied over a large area, like a skin cream, for example. That's why we treated them like a cosmetic product when we tested them." Sounds obvious. By law, however, mosquito sprays are considered biocides for pest control, which is why the limit values for sensitive substances are higher. "Many manufacturers also advertise their products for children," Andreas Schildknecht continues, "and we want to protect people as much as possible. That's why we were so strict."
The exclusive test winner
In the mosquito spray test carried out by K-Tipp and "Kassensturz", there is a clear winner. The Anti Insect Sensitive contains no risky fragrances and protects against mosquitoes for around five hours. For this, it was the only "good" product tested. You can only get the test winner from our parent company Migros. And even there only in stores, not online. For whatever reason.
Source: Migros Online / Screenshot
If you still have concerns about using bug spray, there are alternatives. Editorial colleague Martin Jungfer wrote about this a few years ago. So that the nasty bloodsuckers don't get a bite if possible.
How do you protect yourself from annoying mosquitoes? Do they itch you at all? Or maybe you even have an insider tip that you would like to share with the Community?
Header image: SRF / Kassensturz
I'm a full-blooded dad and husband, part-time nerd and chicken farmer, cat tamer and animal lover. I would like to know everything and yet I know nothing. I know even less, but I learn something new every day. What I am good at is dealing with words, spoken and written. And I get to prove that here.
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