Q: Everyone says that the DEET in bug spray is awful, but my own research seems to suggest that it’s well-tested and safe. Am I giving myself a little bit of cancer every time I use it?

Common bug sprays may affect the formation of egg cells during pregnancy, scientists have warned. DEET, chemically named N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide, is an active ingredient in many insect repellents.

Now that summer is in full swing, mosquitoes have come out across the United States. The use of mosquito repellents can protect both your health and sanity this summer. While mosquitoes leave ...

Scientists understand how certain repellents like DEET work at the molecular level, but for many of them, it is still unknown why exactly they repel mosquitoes. Testing repellents.

Why DEET also repels ticks is even less understood, though the mechanisms are probably different than with mosquitoes. One thing we do know: Ticks, which generally hitch a ride as you pass them in ...

How do DEET and other chemicals repel mosquitoes? How exactly DEET works is still a subject of debate, says Aaron Gross, a toxicologist at Virginia Tech’s Molecular Physiology & Toxicology ...

Scientists understand how certain repellents like DEET work at the molecular level, but for many of them, it is still unknown why exactly they repel mosquitoes. Testing repellents.

Originally developed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in the 1940s, DEET (or diethyltoluamide) has been the most widely used active ingredient in insect repellent for decades. In recent years ...

If you’re concerned about using deet, consider this, Consumer Reports' ratings include over 50 repellents and more than 20 recommended ones, so it should be easy to find a way to beat the bugs ...

B efore 1957, when DEET (aka, the active ingredient in many repellent products) became available to the public, repellents made from natural ingredients were the go-to for avoiding mosquito bites ...

How to repel mosquitoes. While mosquitoes in the summer may be inevitable, there are ways to avoid getting bit. Repellants that contain DEET are the “gold standard” of EPA-approved products ...